Podcasts about irish tech news

Iaros Belkin and Philip Cripe reporting on Istanbul Blockchain Week 2026. Istanbul has never been just a city. Straddling two continents, it has always been a place where civilisations collide and deals get made. This week, that same energy filled the Hilton Bomonti Hotel as Istanbul Blockchain Week returned for its fifth edition from June 2-3, 2026. And the city was still buzzing from something else entirely. Just three days before the first panel kicked off, Kanye West drew an estimated 118,000 fans to Atatürk Olympic Stadium in one of Europe's biggest concerts in years. It was a record breaking spectacle organised by Access Opera, ILS Vision, and Backstage Global. With concerts cancelled or blocked across the UK, France, Poland, and Switzerland, Istanbul emerged as the tour's 2026unlikely but triumphant launchpad. The city had just made global headlines, and the Web3 crowd arrived into that afterglow. Istanbul was not just hosting a blockchain conference. It was having a moment. IBW 2026 arrived at a point when the crypto industry is moving away from speculative narratives and returning to infrastructure, liquidity, interoperability, and sustainable business models. That shift was clear on the conference floor. Gone were the moonshot promises of earlier bull cycles. In their place were serious conversations about financial architecture, compliance frameworks, and what actually scales. A breath of fresh air for those of us that have been in web 3 through ups and downs. The backdrop matters enormously here. According to Chainalysis, Türkiye leads the Middle East and North Africa's largest cryptocurrency market, recording nearly $200 billion in annual on-chain transactions, almost four times that of the UAE. This is not a country just discovering crypto. It is one where digital assets have become an economic necessity for millions navigating currency volatility and inflation. IBW 2026 was positioned to foster meaningful connections between startups, incumbents, and policymakers seeking pragmatic insights and collaborations. The program reflected that ambition. Attendees moved through fireside chats, panels, roundtables, workshops, and hands-on sessions covering real-world asset tokenisation, AI agents, privacy, stablecoins, DeFi security, layer-2 scaling, cross-chain liquidity, and regulatory compliance. Running alongside the main summit were BlockDown Festival, DeFAICon Istanbul, the RWA Builders Summit, DealFlow Den, and IstanHack, each serving a distinct corner of the ecosystem, from experienced investors to hackathon developers building late into the night. IBW 2026 brought together 5,000+ projects, 1,700+ influencers, 200+ media outlets, and 300+ international speakers, with past editions welcoming over 20,000 total attendees. Not a niche gathering. But a top tier event that any serious Web3 operator, whether based in Dublin, Dubai, or Denver, needs on their radar. What sets IBW apart from the Brussels or Singapore circuit is the regulatory dimension. Turkey's government has been actively shaping crypto legislation, and having policymakers in the same rooms as founders and VCs accelerates the kind of alignment the industry needs. The institutional track, run as a closed-door forum, brought together asset managers, exchanges, and infrastructure providers to work through the hard questions around custody, capital formation, and compliance: the unglamorous plumbing that determines whether Web3 actually crosses into the mainstream. For European builders and investors, Istanbul represents something increasingly rare: a high-growth market with genuine retail adoption, government engagement, and a young, technically literate population. IBW founder Erhan Korhaliller said in his welcome speech that the goal was to make this edition "bigger, bolder and more impactful than ever." By all accounts, the city delivered. With a little help from 118,000 Kanye fans who reminded the world, just days earlier, that Istanbul knows how to p...

Running a business in Ireland is expensive. Energy bills are one of the biggest overheads for businesses across the country, and the building you operate from has more impact on those bills than most business owners realise. New research from Procure.ie analysed at 80,526 non-domestic building energy ratings (BER) published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which measures the energy performance of commercial and public buildings such as offices and warehouses across Ireland between 2009 and 2025, to find out which counties are leading the way. Counties were then ranked by how many of their buildings achieved an A rating, the highest score a building can get. Kildare came out on top by a landslide, with 7% of its buildings (235 out of 3,355) rated A. That's almost double the national average of 3.6%. The county has become a hub for modern, energy-efficient commercial development, with planners recently approving a €3 billion data-centre campus by Herbata at Naas, and Kildare's pharma and semiconductor sites being built to high standards. Three counties share second place, each with 5% of their commercial buildings A-rated. County Dublin leads the trio with 296 out of 5,915 buildings achieving an A rating. Meath follows with 134 out of 2,672 buildings A-rated. The new 21,000 sq ft Thrive Centre of Business Excellence opened in September 2025, offering dedicated climate action services and adding to the county's growing reputation for energy-smart business. Westmeath completes the joint second-place trio, also at 5% (84 out of 1,684 buildings). In September 2025, Westmeath County Council signed contracts to upgrade its three biggest buildings (Áras an Chontae in Mullingar, the Civic Centre in Athlone, and Athlone Regional Sports Centre) to high energy-efficiency standards. Ballymore Group has also announced plans for a new sustainable town in Athlone, designed for 100,000 residents by 2040, with 90% of its energy coming from renewables. Longford (4.1%) and Laois (4%) rank in third and fourth place respectively, showing that even smaller counties can make a massive impact. Longford County Council received €793,822 from the EU Just Transition Fund to develop the Longford Enterprise and Energy Centre, and Laois County Council recently signed a multi-million-euro funding agreement with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to retrofit buildings across the Midlands. The Rebel County rounds out the top five, with 291 out of 7,263 commercial buildings achieving an A rating. Cork has more commercial buildings in this dataset than any county outside Dublin, and it is one of Ireland's biggest business counties for a reason. Pharma, tech, and manufacturing companies have all planted roots there. At the other end of the list, Limerick City has the highest proportion of G-rated commercial buildings in the country at 17%, making it the worst-performing county in Ireland. Kilkenny and Sligo are not far behind at 16%, with Louth and Monaghan following at 14%. A lot of this comes down to older heritage buildings and ageing warehouses along the Dublin-Belfast route. For more information and to view the full research, please visit: https://www.procure.ie/irelands-most-energy-efficient-counties/ Procure.ie analysed 80,526 non-domestic BER audits by county, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), covering everything from offices and warehouses to hotels, schools, hospitals and shops across Ireland between 2009 and 2025, to find out which counties are the most energy efficient. About Procure.ie Procure.ie are Ireland's largest business utility consultants, specialising in providing strategic guidance and solutions to businesses across the country. Procure.ie offers comprehensive services ensuring you get the best deal across energy and merchant services. See more breaking stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantasti...

TechIreland has released its Irish Startup Funding Review 2026 Edition, a report of startup fundraising activity in 2025. The report shows that 319 Irish startups raised a total of €992 million last year. Since the highs of 2021, annual fundraising now appears to have settled at around the €900m–€1 billion mark, with the 2025 total up just €14m compared to 2024. In terms of the number of companies raising funding, there was also a slight uptick from 2024, when 307 companies raised funding. Early-stage activity remained notably strong – primarily attributed to Enterprise Ireland's PSSF and HPSU supports. A record 211 companies raised up to €1 million while data also reveals that there is an ongoing challenge in scaling into Series A and beyond, where momentum continues to lag. As in previous years, a small number of large outliers skewed the total figure. The top four companies: Lets Get Checked (€150m), XOCEAN (€115m), Tines (€114m), and ProVerum (€73m), accounted for nearly half of all funding raised. Furthermore, the majority of large rounds were concentrated in Q1, which alone accounted for €616m raised – a record high for any quarter over the last ten years. This, however, reveals a more concerning picture for the following three quarters, in which fundraising activity sharply cooled, with just €376m raised over the remainder of the year. Deep Dive into 2025 A standout first quarter saw 69 Irish companies raise €616m, making Q1 2025 one of the strongest quarters on record for Irish startup funding. However, funding levels flattened significantly during the remaining quarters, with a combined funding total of only €376m, across 250 startups, underlying a weakened momentum after Q1. The findings align with new figures from the Irish Venture Capital Association VenturePulse survey, published in association with William Fry, which show that Irish technology SMEs raised €221.7m in venture capital in Q1 2026, a fall of 58% compared with the same period last year. IVCA noted that the decline should be viewed in the context of an exceptionally strong Q1 2025, when Irish firms raised more than half a billion euro – a record for a first quarter. Early Stages Early-stage funding activity reached an all-time high in 2025, with 211 companies raising rounds below €1m. This was largely driven by Enterprise Ireland, including the 198 startups announced at the StartUp Day 2026. Despite the strength of early-stage activity, the report identifies ongoing weakness in follow-on and scale-up funding. The number of €1-5m rounds increased to 58 However, €5-30m rounds declined to pre-2019 levels Large growth rounds above €30m remained relatively stable, though most were concentrated in Q1 Findings suggest that while Ireland continues to generate new startups at scale, access to follow-on capital is becoming increasingly competitive. The IVCA's Q1 2026 data suggests that these pressures are continuing into the new year. IVCA reported that funding declined across all deal-size bands except transactions of less than €1 million. The report also notes that just four outlier deals accounted for 46% of all funding, showing the extent to which headline totals remain dependent on a small number of large rounds. Sectoral Focus Life Sciences retained its position as the strongest-funded sector in Ireland during 2025, accounting for more than half of total funding. Major rounds included LetsGetChecked, ProVerum, Deciphex and Perfuze. Enterprise Software and FinTech followed as the second and third strongest sectors, both performing better than in the previous two years. Several of the year's largest rounds reflected Ireland's growing reputation in deep tech, AI, medtech, and robotics. Enterprise Ireland also notes growing momentum in AI-enabled solutions, with 99 of its supported startups in 2025 incorporating AI as a central part of their product or service. The report also notes a sharp decline in Energy/CleanTech funding, falling from €328m in 2024 to €...

Irish procurement support company BidReview.ai has launched a new self-service AI platform designed to help businesses assess and improve tender submissions before they are submitted to buyers. The new online tool allows users to upload draft tender responses alongside Request for Proposal (RFP) or tender documentation and receive an AI-generated assessment of the submission, including indicative scoring and practical recommendations for improvement. The launch comes amid growing use of generative AI in tender writing and increasing concern among procurement professionals about the quality, accuracy and competitiveness of AI-generated submissions. Speaking following the launch, Tony Corrigan, Founder of BidReview.ai, said: "AI has made it dramatically easier for businesses to generate tender responses, but faster does not necessarily mean better. Buyers are now seeing higher volumes of submissions, many of which sound convincing but fail to properly address scoring criteria. Our platform is designed to give businesses an independent assessment of how competitive their submission actually is before it goes into the market." The platform provides users with feedback designed to help businesses identify weaknesses, improve scoring alignment, reduce internal review cycles and strengthen overall submission quality ahead of deadlines. The new self-service offering has been developed to complement BidReview.ai's existing procurement advisory services and respond to increasing demand from SMEs. Founded by procurement specialist Tony Corrigan, BidReview.ai was developed using analysis from more than 750 winning tenders and over 3,500 public sector competitions. Ireland's public procurement market is worth more than €21 billion annually, yet one in four competitions still receives one or zero bids. See more stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

SD Worx Ireland, a leading payroll and HR solutions provider, has announced the results of new research which found that almost a quarter (22%) of employees in Ireland believe that their pay does not fairly reflect the work that they do. However, a far lower proportion (11%) of employers admit that they do not adequately compensate employees. Independent research from SD Worx, carried out by iVOX, surveyed 1,000 employees and 301 employers in Ireland as the deadline to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive into Irish law approaches on 7th June 2026. Under the new rules, employers will be required to adopt much stricter pay transparency, equal pay, and reporting practices. However, the Government has confirmed that Ireland will not meet this deadline to pass the Directive into national law. SD Worx's research shows that as the Directive approaches, some employers still have work to do; 24% of employees say they received a promotion without a pay increase last year. Meanwhile, employees admit that they can struggle to speak up about their entitlements. Less than half (45%) of workers feel comfortable discussing, or asking for, a pay increase. Of these, women (37%) are less likely thanmen (52%) to feel comfortable requesting a pay rise. The study found that, in many cases, employees do not know what their payment rights are and nearly a third (30%) are unaware of the EU Pay Transparency Directive or what it means for their rights. However, the majority of organisations in Ireland report that they are ready for its introduction. Some 68% say they have everything in place to comply with the new Directive, suggesting a lack of communication with their employees. As they prepare for the Directive, 69% of employers in Ireland – the highest proportion in Europe – say they are investing in greater pay transparency and 58% regularly review pay data to identify and address potential pay gaps. Nearly a quarter (23%) rank pay transparency initiatives such as pay gap analysis, clear payslips, and gaining employee insights among their top priorities for 2026. Many organisations are already making headway, with 24% of employers saying they currently offer pay transparency information such as pay ranges and salary bands to employees. Even so, one-in-10 Irish employees do not expect their organisation's pay transparency to improve in the coming years and 28% believe that there is a gender pay gap in their organisation. Eimear Byrne, Managing Director, SD Worx Ireland, said: "It's clear from our research that many employees in Ireland feel undervalued for the work that they put in, but are afraid to ask for what they are entitled to. The rollout of the EU Pay Transparency Directive should support employees in this regard by making conversations about pay increases easier, due to more transparent pay ranges. It's vital that workers feel encouraged and adequately recognised and rewarded in order to build a workforce that's motivated, productive, and engaged. "Not only this, but it will enable businesses to remain competitive in a crowded jobs market. Pay equity and transparency are playing an increasingly important role in attracting and retaining talent and, indeed, 73% of employees cited pay transparency as an important part of their decision to stay with or join an organisation. "Meanwhile, pay appears high on the agenda for employers too. Though Ireland will not meet the deadline to transpose the upcoming Directive into law, encouragingly, that hasn't stopped businesses from putting measures and processes in place to adhere to the new rules. However, it's concerning that a large proportion of employees do not know how the Directive will affect them, and communication from employers will be key to ensuring clarity and openness when it comes to payment rights." See more stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes ...

Registration is now open for the Law Society's latest free online course exploring the fast-evolving world of social media, artificial intelligence (AI) and the law, with over 2,200 participants already signed up. Open to anyone with an interest in tech and legal innovation – and its real-world impact – the new on-demand course starts on Tuesday 9 June 2026. This year's course will provide participants with an insight into the rapidly developing impact and intersection of Social Media, AI and the Law, offering an overview of recent advancements, delving into issues surrounding liability, regulation, privacy and data protection, social media bans, cybercrime, and ecommerce. It will also explore the considerable impact on our work environment and daily lives including digital manipulation and surveillance. President of the Law Society, Rosemarie Loftus, said: "The Law Society is proud to deliver this year's course on Social Media, AI and the Law. As AI continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, understanding its impact and how this intersects with social media use, society, business, and the legal world is no longer optional. "Delivered by expert speakers with engaging content, this course will help participants become more informed about liability, risk, regulation, and the implications of using AI in our modern online world. "Whether you are already working in the legal sector, retired or in education, this course is open to anyone, anywhere. All participants will learn how to navigate social media and AI both ethically and responsibly, which will be of benefit to you and wider society." Expert speakers, lawyers, public figures and academics will review the current state of play, demystify concerns, discuss the potential impact in the coming years, and much more. The course will be addressed by guest speakers, including: Niamh Hodnett, Online Safety Commissioner, Coimisiún na Meán Aisling Kelly, Head of Cybercrime Division at the Council of Europe Prof. Terry Flew, Professor of Digital Communication & Culture, The University of Sydney; Co-Director of the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance Owen Bennett, International digital policy expert; former Head of Online Safety Ofcom Nicola Byrne, Founder, RiskEye; Executive Chair, SaferSocial Paul Delahunty, Chief Information Security Officer, Stryve Dr. Lollie Mancey, Anthropologist, Futurist and Innovation Advocate Philip Andrews, SC, Andrews Law Carlo Salizzo, Partner, Dentons Kieran Kelly, Partner, Flynn O'Driscoll Shane English BL Clare Daly, Legal Advisor, Tusla Hazel McDwyer, Partner, Mason Hayes and Curran Maureen Daly, Partner and Head of Intellectual property, data protection and AI department, Reddy Charlton LLP Simon McGarr, Solicitor, McGarr Solicitors Public legal education Each year, the Law Society brings free legal education to members of the public through its Massive Open Online Course. Since 2014, the annual five-week courses have attracted over 41,200 participants from 119 countries with a record-breaking 7,064 participants signed up last year. This year's Social Media, AI and the Law course features online recorded and streamed presentations, together with interactive discussion forums and quizzes that allow participants to engage directly with expert presenters. The course is on-demand making it easy for participants to catch up at any stage with new course content released every Tuesday. For more information and to register, visit: https://mooc2026.lawsociety.ie/ The Law Society of Ireland has representative, regulatory and educational functions in respect of the solicitors' profession. It delivers high-quality legal education and training, encourages and supports the highest professional standards, and places significant emphasis on civic engagement, supporting local community initiatives and driving diversity and inclusion within the profession. Law Society website: www.lawsociety.ie See more breaking stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Onl...

Pictured at the launch of the report, "Digital Infrastructure for the Future We Want", were Darren Maher, Managing Partner, Matheson LLP, Jim Power, Amárach Research, Minister of State Timmy Dooley, Michelle Wallace, Interim CEO, Digital Infrastructure Ireland and Maurice Mortell, Chairperson, Digital Infrastructure Ireland. An economic study on the data centre industry has revealed the critical role the centres play in Irish corporate tax windfalls and in the €107.5 billion in taxes paid here by the ICT industry. The study by economist Jim Power and statistician Gerard O Neill from Amárach Research has also sounded a warning bell that the ongoing limitations on the development of datacentres are now posing a considerable risk to Ireland's attractiveness as a location for foreign direct investment. Speaking at the launch of the report, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Timmy Dooley, said: "Ireland's data centre ecosystem is and will continue to be a critical driver of national economic performance, underpinning high?value sectors, foreign direct investment, digital competitiveness, operational resilience, and export growth, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs." Maurice Mortell, Chairperson of Digital Infrastructure Ireland added: "Ireland has a long history of attracting investment and has positioned itself as one of Europe's leading locations for digital infrastructure. Sustaining Ireland's taxes and its role as a leading investment hub requires a National Digital Strategy that integrates digital infrastructure, energy, planning and industrial policy to support long term competitiveness. The Government's announcements must now translate into tangible actions. With a renewed approach, Ireland can lead the next generation in developing sustainable, high performance digital infrastructure – but delivery is essential. The reality is that considerable taxation is paid where IP assets are located and this has been instrumental to the strong growth in corporation tax revenues since 2015. The risk is that if data centres are going to be built in other locations, because they cannot be built in Ireland, the IP assets could follow the data centres, with very negative implications for Irish corporation tax revenues. Ireland is losing business and global companies are moving their investment pipelines elsewhere." The study, "Digital Infrastructure for the Future We Want", says there has been €18 billion in investment from Ireland's data centre ecosystem, spanning across 105 facilities and 35 operators. It finds that the economic significance of data centres is greater than the direct employment they create and the vital element of critical infrastructure that they provide. "Data centres are essential for the Government's AI and digital strategy, the modernisation of the public sector and the indigenous business economy," the report notes. "Ireland has a high dependence on foreign-owned companies in terms of employment, corporation and income tax receipts, and general economic activity. Given this high level of 'concentration risk' there is considerable pressure on Ireland to preserve its status as a good country in which to do business. That is now under considerable pressure," the authors say. The report highlights that a lot of global intellectual property is stored in Ireland and is a major contributor to tax revenues. "Many of the largest corporations in Ireland are in high-tech industries like pharmaceuticals or information technology that rely heavily on IP. Unlike a building or a machine, it is very easy to move Intellectual Property into or out of a country. There is a lot of Intellectual Property held in Ireland. Some of it has been produced here, while much is imported between different arms of the same multinational corporation." "The location of IP in Ireland makes a significant contribution to exports of goods and services from Ireland. In 2024, exports of computer services...

By David Stephen Conceptually, humans have generalized memory. Simply, humans do not have specific memory of everything in the external world, however familiar. There are groups or collections in human memory that make it easier for humans to navigate the world. These collections also make access thorough for relays or transport, than having the memory area cluttered with respective memories of everything. This says that the function called human intelligence is foundational on memory. So, if human intelligence is generalized, then human memory is also generalized. This indicates that if artificial general intelligence [AGI] will be possible, a lot of effort has to include new memory architecture, similar to human memory. While there would be better deep learning architectures than transformers, it should be evident that the excellence of transformers, even with classical memory would have been better if there was a different memory structure. So, no matter the promise of world models, or the promise of neurosymbolic AI, memory is so integral to intelligence that it is unlikely that both directions would archive AGI. Intelligence can be defined as the use of memory for expected, desired or advantageous outcomes. This means that the way memory is used, determines what becomes intelligence. The better memory is used, the more intelligent or the more effective the memory is, for whatever outcome. If memory use means intelligence, it implies that memory is a station or destination, then intelligence is transport across those destinations. It is true that in the brain, there are many destinations — so to speak — but those for memory and how they are visited make determinations for intelligence. Now, for all there is to know about the external world, assuming that every memory is separately held, so a violet door, a green door, a long door, a wooden door, a metal door, and so on, then if intelligence would keep visiting all, it would be too slow to respond and sometimes not reach where it should. This is a reason that human memory is stored as a collection of similarities. Simply, assuming a destination is a thick set, then a thick set collects whatever is similar between two or more thin sets. Conceptually, a set refers to an assembly, configuration or formation of electrical and chemical signals. A set is also theorized to be obtained in a cluster of neurons. A cluster of neurons may have one or more sets. However, a set is how information is organized. Now, because a set organizes a door, there are respective chemical signals and electrical signals that must assemble in a particular way, to result in that door. Then, if another door is seen, there would be similar assembly [of signals] even as they are not the same. So, what the brain does is that it collects all those similarities, between any set into a bigger one. This is what becomes utilized to make interpretations. This implies that whenever any door is seen, what is used to know it is a door is the thick set. While there are several thin sets for specific things — with no similarities — they are usually fewer. Aside from thick sets, there are overlays of thick sets, which often changes. For example, the thick set of door overlays with the thick set of knob. The thick set of door can also overlay with the thick set of metal or wood, key, or lock and so on. Overlays are often temporary. And sometimes switches fast as well. They allow for memory to be positioned for use, more easily and to ensure that creativity or innovation is possible or even when something is routine, there is at least the chance to have it feel different. Overlays are also useful to ease how to figure things out, or come up with something new even without the intention of doing so. Memory can overlay in certain ways, making relays pick on that to use it. While thick sets have several advantages, one of their major disadvantages is learning, especially something new and not as familiar, for an adult. I...

Ageing mind and impact of social media on the brain up for debate at Robert Boyle Summer School June 4 to 7 What effect does social media have on the mind? What changes take place in the ageing mind and what goes on in the minds of serial killers? All will be revealed as avid conversationalists and the culturally curious gather for four days of intriguing discussion and debate. 'Mind and Matter' is the theme for this year's Robert Boyle Summer School, a not-to-be-missed gathering from June 4 to 7 that promises thought-provoking talks, discussions and entertainment in Waterford city and Lismore. This year begins with a special opening evening with SETU forensic psychologists Dr Lorraine Bowman Grieve and Dr Jennifer O'Mahoney as they explore our fascination with true crime and serial killers, followed by a weekend full of engaging conversation and social events. The Summer School is a weekend event for adults interested in exploring the role of science in our culture, organiser, Eoin Gill said. It's an annual pilgrimage to the south east for many from across Ireland. "The annual Robert Boyle Summer School is in the tradition if Irish cultural summer schools -very much a Festival for adults, not a school; focusing on Science, but not for Scientists," Eoin Gill said. "We explore where ideas come from and how they impact and affect how we see the world today. The annual Robert Boyle Summer School brings together speakers across various fields on a particular theme relevant to society. This year's Mind and Matter theme will resonate with our audience and we look forward to really good, mind-opening conversation and debate. "We're honoured that this year, we will be joined by excellent speakers and experts in their field, among these Prof. William Eaton head of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Georgia Southern University; Dr Emma Farrell from the Department of Psychology at Maynooth University, and Regius Professor Rose Anne Kenny from the Trinity College who leads the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing and is author of the best-selling Age Proof : The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life "We're privileged to also have Prof. Mark Cunningham from Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience with us for the 2026 Festival, along with Prof. Luke Gibbons from Maynooth University. In addition to the talks and discussions, the weekend features an array of entertainment, social gatherings and the iconic Garden Party in the stunning surrounds of Lismore Castle Gardens," he explained. The Robert Boyle Summer School is organised by CALMAST, South East Technological University's STEM Engagement Centre in partnership with Lismore Heritage Centre, with support from Waterford City and County Council, Lismore Castle Estates, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), local industry West, Waters, Sanofi, Haleon and Bausch and Lomb. Book a session, a day or the whole Summer School on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/robert-boyle-summer-school-2026-tickets-1981338115640?aff=website See more breaking stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

By Mr. Stefanos Angeletos, Mr. Nikolaos Koulierakis, Dr. Vasiliki Danilatou Europe's digital transformation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, critical infrastructures are becoming increasingly interconnected, and cyber threats are growing in both sophistication and frequency. Against this backdrop, the European Union faces a critical challenge: how to equip its workforce with the multidisciplinary skills required to secure Europe's digital future. The answer may lie in a new ambitious European initiative: EU-iNSPIRE – iNnovative multi-diSciPlinary Industry-focused cybersecurity education for upskilling and ReskIlling the EU workforcE. The project is supported by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA) under the DIGITAL Europe Programme. EU-INSPIRE brings together 23 organisations across academia, industry, cybersecurity, policy, insurance, and standardisation to create a next-generation educational ecosystem for cybersecurity, AI, and cyber insurance. This four-year initiative officially began in January 2025 and will run until December 2028 under the coordination of the University of Piraeus Research Center in Greece. Eunomia Limited, an SME based in Dublin, Ireland, is proud to contribute to this groundbreaking initiative as one of the consortium partners. A Pan-European Initiative Addressing the Cybersecurity Skills Gap The cybersecurity skills shortage is no longer simply a workforce issue – it is a strategic challenge for Europe's resilience, economic stability, and technological sovereignty. Organisations across sectors increasingly struggle to recruit professionals who possess not only technical cybersecurity expertise, but also understanding of AI governance, cyber-risk management, regulatory compliance, and cyber-insurance. The rapidly evolving digital landscape increasingly demands professionals with multidisciplinary skillsets who can navigate technical, organisational, ethical, regulatory, and strategic challenges, rather than relying exclusively on narrow domain specialisation. EU-iNSPIRE was designed to address exactly this challenge. According to the project description, the initiative aims to revolutionise higher education within cybersecurity by cultivating a new generation of specialists with expertise spanning the political, organisational, and technological dimensions of cybersecurity, AI, and cyber insurance. The project will also support continuous upskilling and reskilling for professionals adapting to evolving digital threats and industry demands. The project is currently progressing towards the completion of course development. Why EU-iNSPIRE Matters Cybersecurity is no longer confined to IT departments. Every sector – from healthcare and finance to manufacturing, transport, insurance, and public administration – depends on resilient digital infrastructures. At the same time, AI technologies are rapidly being integrated into cybersecurity operations. AI can improve threat detection, automate incident response, and strengthen resilience. However, it also introduces new risks including adversarial attacks, algorithmic vulnerabilities, and ethical concerns around transparency, accountability, and bias. This convergence of cybersecurity and AI creates an urgent need for professionals who can work across disciplines. EU-iNSPIRE responds through a three-fold approach: 1. Training cybersecurity professionals capable of leveraging AI-driven technologies to enhance resilience of systems, infrastructures, and digital processes. 2. Developing cyber insurance specialists who understand the relationship between cybersecurity, AI, and cyber risk assessment. 3. Empowering domain experts with sector-specific digital transformation expertise, particularly in conformity assessment and regulatory compliance. The project goes beyond traditional academic programmes. It aims to create a sustainable ecosystem that combines: Master-level educati...

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our fourth podcast is with James Kretchmar SVP and CTO of Cloud Technology at Akamai the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. James talks to Ronan about his background, what Akami does, cloud outages and AI. Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our ffith podcast is with Alvina Antar Chief Digital Officer at F5, an American technology company providing global scale and industry-leading converged application delivery and security platform offering unrivaled insight into the challenges and threats facing modern and legacy apps in the AI era. Alvina talks to Ronan about her background, embracing new technology, what F5 does, AI and getting the Grace Hopper award the night before Dublin Tech Summit started. Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our sixth podcast is with John Wilson CISO and President of Forensics at HaystackID, and Jeff Shapiro Managing Director of Europe at HaystackID. John and Jeff talk to Ronan about their backgrounds, what Haystack does, their Dublin Tech Summit talk and AI deep fakes. See more podcasts here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our fourth podcast is with James Kretchmar SVP and CTO of Cloud Technology at Akamai the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. James talks to Ronan about his background, what Akami does, cloud outages and AI.

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our ffith podcast is with Alvina Antar Chief Digital Officer at F5, an American technology company providing global scale and industry-leading converged application delivery and security platform offering unrivaled insight into the challenges and threats facing modern and legacy apps in the AI era. Alvina talks to Ronan about her background, embracing new technology, what F5 does, AI and getting the Grace Hopper award the night before Dublin Tech Summit started.

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our sixth and last podcast is with John Wilson CISO and President of Forensics at HaystackID, and Jeff Shapiro Managing Director of Europe  at HaystackID. John and Jeff talk to Ronan about their backgrounds, what Haystack does, their Dublin Tech Summit talk and AI deep fakes.

Leading Irish neuroimmunologist Prof. Denise Fitzgerald has been awarded €6.26 million Research Professorship funding from Research Ireland to investigate ways that ageing affects how the immune system helps repair brain tissue in illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The funding means that over the next five years, Prof. Fitzgerald – who has, until now, been based exclusively in Queen's University Belfast – will lead a research team of ten based in Trinity College Dublin and partnering with FutureNeuro Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science, St James's Hospital and Beaumont Hospital to discover why our immune cells become less able to coax brain stem cells to repair damage as we age. This research combines immunology, neuroscience and regenerative biology to tackle this complex problem. Prof. Fitzgerald said: "This ambitious programme of research will uncover new insights into fundamental changes in the older immune system that has a knock-on effect on brain repair. This new knowledge can then be used to develop pioneering regenerative treatment for MS and other neurological conditions. To speed this up, we are embedding research into new clinical trials led by consultant neurologist, Hugh Kearney. "This will increase the opportunities for people with MS in Ireland to access experimental treatments early, as well as to co-produce research with us as key public members of the research programme. Through this neuroimmunology research programme we will train the next generation of scientists, doctors and health professionals, side-by-side, in partnership with the public." Commenting on the announcement, Dr Diarmuid O'Brien, CEO of Research Ireland commented: "Research Ireland is pleased to support Prof. Fitzgerald's critically important work over the next five years, with the investment facilitating an additional 11 research positions, comprising postdocs, PhDs, research assistants and senior research fellows. Funding excellent research talent is a key part of our recently launched strategy, as is addressing Ireland's opportunities and challenges in areas such as public health. I look forward to seeing the outputs and impact of Prof. Fitzgerald's endeavours over the coming years." Through this appointment, Prof. Fitzgerald will divide her role between Trinity College Dublin and Queen's University Belfast, promoting all-island collaboration across neuroimmunology and other research areas. She will be an investigator at FutureNeuro, the RCSI-based Research Ireland Centre that aims to translate breakthroughs in understanding of brain structure and function to transform the patient journey for people with neurological diseases. She also brings extensive international collaboration with world-leading experts at Cambridge University, University College London, the University of Toronto, the Institute of Neuroscience – Alicante, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Maynooth University. Prof. Colin Doherty, head of the School of Medicine in Trinity and a Principal Investigator with FutureNeuro said: "I have known Denise for some time and have marvelled at the quality of her research into one of the great and challenging areas of medical science. We are delighted that she will be leading a team here in Trinity while retaining her links with Queen's, strengthening all-island collaboration in neuroimmunology and creating exciting new opportunities across the wider FutureNeuro research network." See more stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find...

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our second podcast is with Phil Barnes Business Development Manager at Geotab, a Canadian technology company that develops and manufactures telematics and fleet management solutions. Phil talks to Ronan about his background, what Geotab does, AI and data analytics.

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our first podcast is with Luke Treacy the Managing Director and founder of Business Technology Academy. Luke has been on the podcast before and it's nice to catchup and see what Luke and Business Technology academy are up. Luke talks to Ronan about what  Business Technology Academy has been up to, their new AI courses, working with Senator Craughwell CyberQuest on Cyber Security for SME's, Business Technology Academy's new online publication and the events they are running with Dun Laoghaire Chamber of Commerce.

Irish Tech News is at Dublin Tech Summit and over the 2 days Ronan will be doing various podcasts. Our third podcast is with Armin Moradi and Lydia Foott the Co-Founders of Qashio, created for finance leaders and business owners. They built a User-Centric Technology solution within spend management that is allowing businesses to mature their processes without compromising the speed of their operations. Armin and Lydia talk to Ronan about their backgrounds, their new Dublin office, new jobs and investment in Dublin and how the war in Iran has impacted them.

The award-winning STEM Passport for Inclusion programme is calling on professionals across Ireland to sign up as mentors and support the next generation of STEM talent from under-served backgrounds. The initiative is now expanding its reach and is seeking volunteers to play a vital role in supporting students as they explore education and career pathways in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). By dedicating fifteen hours, across the next 12 months, mentors can provide guidance, share personal and professional experiences, and help students from under-served backgrounds around the city to build the confidence and skills they need to pursue further education and careers in STEM. A short online training session will take place across a number of dates, including the 4th, 9th, and 16th of June, and the 14th of July, equipping new mentors the tools and confidence to get started. While an in-person full day training day will take place on Tuesday July 28 in Microsoft offices in Leopardstown, Co Dublin. Anyone interested in becoming a mentor is encouraged to register their interest as soon as possible: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/dAqBVpL2DR. Additional training dates will be scheduled in August. STEM Passport for Inclusion is an initiative led by Prof Katriona O'Sullivan at Maynooth University's National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education. The programme is funded by Research Ireland, the Department of Education and Youth and Microsoft, as well as by many industry and education partners. It aims to tackle persistent inequalities in access to STEM education and career pathways, with particular focus on growing representation of under-served communities. The mentoring programme is designed to be flexible and accessible. All mentoring sessions take place online and are supported by the STEM Passport for Inclusion team, ensuring that volunteers are fully equipped to make the most of the experience. Importantly, mentors do not need to come from a STEM background, or even work in STEM; what matters most is their willingness to listen, support, and encourage the next generation. Professor Katriona O'Sullivan, STEM Passport for Inclusion, emphasised the importance of this work, saying: "Following a busy year for the STEM Passport for Inclusion, we are now focused on building on that momentum and expanding the programme's reach. As we grow the programme across Ireland, we are looking for people who are willing to share their time and perspective. By volunteering as a mentor, individuals can make a meaningful difference, while helping to build a more inclusive and diverse future workforce." About STEM Passport for Inclusion: The award-winning STEM Passport for Inclusion is an initiative led by Prof Katriona O'Sullivan at Maynooth University. Funded by Research Ireland and the Department of Education, as well as lead and founding partner Microsoft Ireland alongside many industry and education partners, STEM Passport creates an innovative pathway for students from under-served backgrounds to third level education by earning a Level 6 STEM qualification, work experience opportunities, and mentoring from inspiring industry role models. See more breaking stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Solar Ireland is warning that too much clean, renewable energy is being wasted because grid and system development are not keeping pace with record levels of generation, limiting the full benefits solar can deliver for consumers, energy security and affordability. The industry group is speaking out as the current sunny spell delivers exceptional generation across Ireland's solar farms. At 1.30pm yesterday, one third of electricity demand across Ireland was delivered through clean, renewable energy generated at solar farms nationwide, according to Green Collective data. It follows record figures from Sunday afternoon, when these farms were providing almost the same amount of power as imported gas*. CEO of Ronan Power said: "This is a fantastic week for solar in Ireland and shows just how quickly the sector is growing and contributing to our energy system. Ireland's first utility-scale solar farm was only connected to the grid in 2022, and already we are seeing solar provide a significant share of electricity demand. This also highlights an increasingly important challenge. As generation levels continue to rise, parts of the system are struggling to absorb all the clean, renewable energy available, leading to increasing dispatch down and curtailment. Put simply, we sometimes have to turn off renewable generation because the system is not always capable of handling all the clean energy being produced. Grid remains a critical part of the solution, but this is now broader than grid alone. We need to look at the challenge with fresh eyes and focus on system optimisation, using the technology already available and the strong public support behind the energy transition." Power said Ireland now needs to move quickly from planning to implementation: "The investment commitment is there and we welcome that. The priority now is accelerating delivery and ensuring grid infrastructure, system services and operational measures keep pace with renewable deployment. Every unit of renewable electricity we can use helps reduce reliance on imported fuels, improves energy independence and supports consumers at a time when energy costs remain a concern. Solar is increasingly helping reduce Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels and creating a more resilient electricity system. Maximising that opportunity is not only a climate priority, it is an affordability priority too." Solar Ireland is calling for accelerated delivery across grid infrastructure, flexibility measures and operational actions to ensure Ireland can fully capture periods of strong renewable generation and maximise the benefits for consumers, businesses and the wider economy. NOTE: *At 2.30pm on Sunday, utility-scale solar contributed a record 37.06% of the fuel demand across the country, just 2% away from the level of imported gas being used in the 24-hour period leading up to Sunday afternoon. According to EirGrid, the total amount of renewable generation from wind and solar exceeded 46%. See more breaking stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Iaros Belkin caught up with Owen Healy at ETHCluj, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in what turned into one of the more honest conversations I've had at a crypto conference this cycle. Healy is the Founder and Director of Owen Healy Blockchain Talent, a boutique Irish recruitment firm that has placed lots of people from 25+ countries into blockchain projects since he entered the space in early 2021. He built the whole thing from a standing start during COVID, living in rural Ireland, unemployed, with nothing but a LinkedIn account and a genuine curiosity about the technology. That backstory matters. It means when Healy talks about the current market, he isn't protecting a fund position or managing a narrative. He's telling you what he actually sees from the candidate and employer side simultaneously. And right now, what he sees is sobering. On AI and job displacement The WEF Future of Jobs report projects 92 million roles displaced and 170 million created by 2030. Net positive on paper. Healy isn't buying the framing. "There are a lot of companies that historically would have been over-bloated and overstaffed, and they're conveniently using AI as an excuse to conduct layoffs," he told me. "AI is replacing jobs, but maybe not to the extent that the corporate world would like you to believe." He's equally clear that nobody is immune. "Everyone is using the benefits of AI and suffering the consequences of it at the same time." On developers Developers who were comfortable at €150K two or three years ago are now accepting €120K. Healy is direct about why: the market is an employer's market, full stop. Location matters more than it did. The US and Asia are moving; Europe is quiet. And developers are being pushed up the stack regardless. "People are being forced to effectively do more and leverage the best AI capabilities. Sometimes it's reasonable, sometimes it's not." On institutional money arriving This is the part of the conversation that surprised me most. Healy's read is that institutional entry is changing the candidate profile the industry actually wants. "We're entering an industry where hoodies are less in demand and suits are in more demand." For years, TradFi professionals were crypto-curious but couldn't stomach the risk of leaving stable, pensionable careers for a space where ten-year jobs are rare and use cases can be murky. That's changing. JP Morgan, BlackRock, and others are doing blockchain-related hiring now, and it's pulling a cohort of talent that was always interested but never had a comfortable entry point. London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore: that's where institutional-adjacent hiring is concentrated. On EthCC feeling like a funeral It was an offhand remark that landed harder than most prepared conference soundbites. "EthCC felt like a funeral in many respects," Healy said. His reasoning is rooted in what he sees from the inside: projects that look fine externally, companies still putting on a brave face while quietly running out of runway. He mentioned Code4rena winding down as one example, a business he described as legitimate and genuinely useful to the space. "Nobody's going to invest in you or use your services if you're anticipating you'll run out of business in six months." The one piece of advice he offered for a bear market Go to events. Build the relationships now that pay off when conditions improve. He did it in 2023. He's doing it again. Practical. Unglamorous. And coming from someone who built a 100-placement recruitment business from a rural Irish village during a pandemic, probably worth listening to. Iaros Belkin is a founder of Belkin Marketing, a boutique agency serving as Strategic Advisor to Deep Tech, Web3 and AI Founders. Two decades of experience navigating high-stakes global markets and orchestrating everything a good venture team needs: from grants and key partnerships to VVIP events elevated experience. See more breaking stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publ...

I have long been inspired and educated by TED Talks. No doubt you have done the same and have your own personal favourites. Today, I wish to introduce you to a new group of inspiring speakers who recently spoke at a TEDx event organised by Trinity Business School in Dublin to celebrate their 100th anniversary this year. Trinity College in 1916 had a vision for Ireland and its people, while bullets and bombs were exploding in the Streets of Dublin and throughout the country. To mark TBS's 100th anniversary, they will create and host many events throughout the year. The theme for this TEDx event was Change101, allowing the speakers to reflect on what will define the next century across society, people and planet. The event was a huge success, with a packed-to-capacity audience, who were greatly appreciative of the speakers' ability to engage, entertain and excite in equal measure. I was very pleased to be chosen to coach and prepare the 14 speakers for TEDx Trinity, an event hosted at Trinity Business School, Dublin, on March 5th. There was a mix of participants, from current students, past graduates and academics. Here are just a few of the attention grabbing titles: Loneliness and Trust in the age of AI When the Law Gets It Wrong Rethinking Jealousy – How others success becomes your own The Chilling Effect of Cultural Silence Why not give yourself some time to learn and grow while being entertained? Click the image below to view each talk and choose your favourite: A good TEDx talk can be a calling card when starting out on a career or seeking advancement in your career. Good Speakers get promoted – I coach people to present on a wide variety of subjects with vastly differing styles as evidenced in these TEDx talks. By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Irish creative studio, The Studio of Possible, has been appointed by offshore wind and marine survey specialist, Sulmara, to support the business's next phase of growth through strategic positioning, brand storytelling and communications. The partnership spans brand strategy, positioning, digital, social, live experiences and commercial communications, with the work focused on helping Sulmara evolve from a traditional survey-led narrative towards a more future-facing position centred around seabed intelligence. Operating within the rapidly expanding offshore wind and marine infrastructure sector, Sulmara is increasingly positioning itself not simply as a business that gathers seabed data, but as a strategic intelligence partner helping clients make smarter, faster and more confident decisions across offshore energy projects. The appointment reflects growing demand within industrial, energy and engineering-led sectors for stronger strategic communications, clearer differentiation and commercially-focused brand positioning as businesses compete for investor attention, talent and market share in increasingly crowded categories. Founded in Dublin in 2021, The Studio of Possible works at the intersection of strategy, creativity and commercial growth, helping organisations clarify their value, strengthen market positioning and communicate more effectively across digital, brand and experience-led channels. The studio identified an opportunity to help Sulmara move beyond the conventional language commonly used across the offshore survey category, where many businesses communicate in similar terms around vessels, surveys, operations and data capture. Instead, the partnership focuses on developing a clearer and more differentiated narrative around intelligence, innovation and future offshore decision-making. Séamus Begley, founder and creative director at The Studio of Possible, said: "We're incredibly excited to partner with Sulmara, a business operating at the forefront of offshore wind and marine innovation. "As the renewable energy sector continues to evolve at pace, there's a growing need for companies driving real technical progress to communicate their value, vision and impact with greater clarity and confidence. "Sulmara has built an impressive reputation within the industry and our role is to help sharpen how that expertise is articulated across the market. "We believe strategic storytelling and positioning have an important role to play in supporting the future growth of offshore wind, helping businesses not only stand out commercially, but also connect more effectively with investors, partners, talent and the wider industry." Work to date has centred on helping Sulmara communicate its longer-term commercial ambition and innovation story more clearly, supporting the business as offshore wind matures from an emerging sector into a major global infrastructure and investment category. Miek King, Head of Global Sales at Sulmara, commented: "We were looking for a partner that could understand the complexity of our work, while also helping us communicate the bigger commercial value behind it. "The Studio of Possible immediately recognised that Sulmara's role goes beyond traditional survey work and has helped us build a clearer, more future-focused narrative around seabed intelligence, innovation and the role we play in supporting smarter offshore energy decisions." According to The Studio of Possible, branding and strategic communications are becoming increasingly important within technical sectors, where businesses are no longer competing solely on operational capability, but also on clarity, confidence, investor appeal and future relevance. Looking ahead, the partnership will continue to support Sulmara across brand, digital, social, events, investor communications and commercial storytelling as the business strengthens its position within the offshore wind and marine technology space. A podcast with Seamus Begley will be up so...

New research from PayPal reveals that among SMEs surveyed in Ireland who sell online, 44% of sales come from outside Ireland. The findings also point to strong AI adoption, with one in four (25%) of those expanding internationally saying AI tools have made it easier to enter and operate in new markets. This survey commissioned by PayPal among SME owners surveyed in Ireland whose businesses sell online, finds that the majority (51%) are confident about their growth prospects for 2026. Central to this confidence is the rise of social commerce, with 78% reporting that they use social media channels for sales. More than half (56%) of business owners surveyed now feel that social media commerce is more effective than traditional ecommerce platforms for driving sales, while just over one in five (21%) expect it to be the main driver of business growth in the next 12 months. The study reveals that Instagram shopping (52%), YouTube shopping (52%), Facebook shops (51%) and TikTok shops (34%) are the leading social platforms for social commerce sales among Irish SMEs surveyed. According to the research, Irish SMEs are significant adopters of AI technology, with almost 8 in 10 (78%) business owners surveyed currently using AI in either business or customer processes. Driving innovation (62%), reducing finance administration (59%) and driving revenue growth (57%) are cited as the greatest benefits to business operations. Cross-border trade is an important revenue stream for Irish SMEs. Business owners expanding internationally believe it will help them to attract global talent (29%) as well as secure higher revenue/margin opportunities (25%). Among those already selling internationally, 80% expect overseas sales increase in the next 12 months. Digital payments continue to support Irish SMEs, with mobile payment apps generating the largest share of their sales, accounting for almost one-fifth (19%) of transactions on average. Four in ten Irish business owners offer mobile payment apps to customers, while digital wallets are also a popular form of payment among customers (36%). Jonas Breding, General Manager, PayPal Northern Europe comments: "Irish SME owners are operating in fast-moving and competitive environments. From AI adoption and the rise of social commerce to the introduction of new payment methods, business owners are continuously having to evolve to meet changing consumer expectations. The scale of this change also brings real opportunities for Irish businesses. On average, SMEs who sell online are generating 44% of their sale cross-border. "By leveraging digital channels, social commerce and ecommerce technology, we can see that Irish SMEs are well positioned to reach customers across the world. The businesses that will thrive are those that continue to invest in the right tools, removing friction from the customer journey and fully embracing international sales opportunities." See more stories here. Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Bay Broadcasting has announced the "imminent" rollout of three of its radio stations to DAB, making them available to an estimated 85% of the population. Radio Nova, Classic Hits Radio and Sunshine 106.8 will broadcast on the Failte DAB Mux2 trial, which will reach most of the country outside the Dublin when launched. Bay claims the move marks a new era of national scale and audience growth for the group and describes the launch of the three radio services on national DAB as the most exciting development for radio choice in over a decade. It believes the move will significantly increase its reach, with Nova and Sunshine expected to add 2.5m potential listeners and Classic Hits a further 1.2m people. Bay Broadcasting said the rollout gives the group the potential to challenge Bauer Media's monopoly on national radio commercial radio in Ireland. To find out more about this I spoke to Kevin Brannigan the CEO of Bay Broadcasting. Kevin spoke to me about his background, the radio stations Bay Broadcasting owns, Failte DAB Mux2, how technology has changed radio from the 1980's till now, and looking for more Irish talent to present on DAB radio. More about FáilteDAB Mux 2: FáilteDAB Mux 2 is an extended DAB+ trial network that covers approximately 85% of the Irish population. Launched in April 2026, it expands coverage well beyond the original Dublin-centric trial area to include the Midlands, Southeast, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Galway, and Mayo. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

By Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally This is the second article in a series of articles I am writing for Irish Tech News to explore the financial, technical, legal aspects of utilizing space solar energized orbital data centers that are rapidly evolving into "AI Factories, designed specifically to convert massive amounts of electrical power into intelligence, measured in tokens" around the world. The US Space Race My new series is a follow up to an interview ITN conducted with me in 2020 exploring how space solar energy could sustainably energize the tokenization of the global financial markets which is projected to grow to multi-trillion dollars by the end of the decade. The shift toward space-solarized data infrastructure is accelerating in the US rapidly following the historic March 1, 2026, drone strikes on AWS data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain which has extended during April and May. Executed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), these kinetic strikes marked the first time commercial hyperscale data centers were directly targeted and physically damaged in active warfare. The attacks caused prolonged service disruptions, exposed the vulnerability of terrestrial tech infrastructure, and proved that earth bound data centers are now prioritized military targets. As detailed in the table below US technology and aerospace companies are increasingly looking to space-solarized solutions to address the immense energy and cooling demands of AI, with several key initiatives emerging. US Tech and Aerospace Companies Focused on Space Solarized Data Centers Hyperscale Cloud Company Orbital Edge Computing Orbital Data Center/Number of Satellite Constellation Space Solar LEO Network Rocket Launch Robotics Amazon Web Services (AWS) Y Y, Blue Origin – Blue Ring spacecraft/ Project Sunrise 51,600 Y Y, Amazon LEO Y Y Microsoft Azure Y, Azure Space N, Sold Azure Orbital Ground Station N, Space Azure Solar Cell Tech N N Y Google Cloud Y, Space Llama Y, Project Suncatcher in partnership with Planet Labs a high-profile "moonshot" initiative aimed at building and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in space/81 Y N Space X Y, Google Deep Mind Meta N, Terrestrial Edge Computing N Y, Metasat & Overview Energy N, High-altitude, solar-powered drones (Aquila project) N Y Starcloud Y Y Partnership with AWS/88,000 Y Y, Starcloud-1 (November 2025): first test satellite containing an Nvidia H100 chip, that survived radiation and function in space. SpaceX Y Space X – Orbital Data Center Y Y/ 1,000,000 Y Starlink Y Y Nividia Y, NVIDIA Space-1 Vera Rubin computing platform Y Y Y Space X Y Atherflux rebranded to Cowboy Space Y Y/ 20,000 Y N N Y Lone Star Y, (2021) First data storage and edge processing test at International Space Station Y, Orbital and Lunar Data Center with NASA Y Y Space X Y Axiom Space Y, In March 2025, Axiom deployed Red Hat Device Edge on the ISS to test terrestrial cloud applications in space, serving as a prototype for ODC Nodes. Y Y Y Space X Y Two Distinct Approaches in Space Solarized Data Center Operations in the US US technology and space companies in a race are aggressively pursuing orbital and space-solarized data centers and are tackling these operations through two distinct methodologies: orbital data processing (in-space edge compute) and space-based terrestrial power harvesting. Both approaches aim to bypass the escalating energy demands, cooling constraints, and land footprint limitations of Earth-based data center infrastructure. The two approaches differ significantly in how they utilize space and solar resources. Here is a summary: Terrestrial vs. Space-Based AI Compute Constraint Terrestrial Data Centers Orbital Data Centers Power Source Strained local power grids Unlimited, direct solar energy Cooling High water and energy consumption Natural cold of space vacuum Space & Regulation Tight zoning laws and land limits No ter...

Istanbul Blockchain Week, organized by Web3 marketing agency EAK Digital is set to return for its fifth edition on June 2nd-3rd, 2026, at the Hilton Bomonti Hotel. Following last year's success, this year's event is gearing up to host prominent leaders and organizations in the industry, with more opportunities to learn at the heart of Eurasia's key crypto hub. June 2nd-3rd, Istanbul Blockchain Week According to a recent report by Chainalysis, Türkiye leads the Middle East and North Africa's largest cryptocurrency market, recording nearly $200 billion in annual on-chain transactions, almost four times that of the UAE. Challenging economic circumstances have driven substantial adoption of crypto in Türkiye, serving as an economic necessity and a form of investment to navigate financial uncertainties. Against this backdrop of rapid growth, Istanbul Blockchain Week will highlight the city's thriving ecosystem, its evolving regulatory landscape, and innovative projects that are shaping the Web3 revolution locally and globally. Erhan Korhaliller, CEO of EAK Digital and founder of Istanbul Blockchain Week, said: "We are thrilled to return with the fifth edition of Istanbul Blockchain Week, aiming to make it even bigger, bolder and more impactful than ever. We look forward to building on last year's success and creating an unforgettable experience where people connect, learn, and shape the future of blockchain together." Bringing the global Web3 community in Istanbul From blockchain and AI experts and thought leaders to influencers and enthusiasts, IBW 2026 is poised to draw thousands of attendees from around the world, leveraging Istanbul's strategic position between the major financial centres of Dubai and London to explore the latest in emerging technologies. The two-day event will host unique fireside chats, thought-provoking panels, insightful discussions, roundtables, and workshops showcasing the hottest topics in Web3, including real world asset tokenization, AI, regulations, privacy and stablecoins. Building on the success of last year's edition, which featured speakers such as Justin Sun Founder of TRON, Ali hsan Güngör, Executive Vice Chairman of Capital Markets Board of Türkiye, Mehmet Çamr, Chairman of OKX TR, Kostas Chalkias, Co-Founder and Chief Cryptographer of Mysten Labs, John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, and Aaron Teng, CEO of Igloo Asia (Pudgy Penguins), IBW 2026 is the ideal platform for fostering meaningful connections, partnerships and growth within the crypto and blockchain industry. As the countdown begins, IBW 2026 is set to unveil groundbreaking innovations and hands-on Web3 experiences. Early sponsorship opportunities are now available to gain premium visibility and engagement with a global Web3 audience. This media partnership between Istanbul Blockchain Week and Irish Tech News was facilitated by Iaros Belkin, founder of Belkin Marketing and contributor at Irish Tech News. For more information, visit https://istanbulblockchainweek.com/. About Istanbul Blockchain Week (IBW) Istanbul Blockchain Week (IBW) is Türkiye's flagship Web3 conference and expo, bringing together founders, developers, investors, enterprises, creators, and policymakers in the heart of Istanbul. Produced by EAK Digital, IBW showcases the technologies and people shaping crypto, DeFi, AI agents, gaming, and real-world assets. Across recent editions, IBW has welcomed 20,000+ attendees and 500+ speakers from leading protocols, exchanges, and institutions. The program features a main-stage conference, large-scale expo, a KOL Summit, investor roundtables, workshops, and curated networking designed for real deal-flow. To learn more and get IBW tickets, visit https://istanbulblockchainweek.com/tickets/. See more breaking stories, product reviews, and event coverage here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previo...

OxygenCare, a leading Irish medical device distributor with over 54 years of experience supporting anaesthesia and critical care, has announced the Irish launch of the GE Carestation 850 Anaesthesia Delivery System at the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (CAI) Annual Congress, held in O'Reilly Hall, UCD. The launch marks a significant milestone in OxygenCare's long-standing partnership with Irish healthcare, reflecting more than five decades of innovation supporting clinicians, from early gas delivery systems to today's connected, data-driven care environments. As the exclusive Irish distributor for GE HealthCare's anaesthesia portfolio, OxygenCare is introducing the GE Carestation 850 as a Digital for Care-ready platform, aligned with the HSE's evolving digital infrastructure, including the One Health Record (National EHR), NIMIS, and future integrated care systems. "The theme of this year's CAI Congress, 'The Evolution of Anaesthesia and Critical Care', perfectly reflects our journey," said Maurice Moran, Managing Director, OxygenCare. "For over 50 years, we have enabled Irish clinicians to deliver safer, more effective care as technology has evolved. The GE Carestation 850 represents the next step: advanced clinical performance combined with seamless digital integration, fully aligned with HSE Digital for Care standards. We are proud to launch it here among the clinicians shaping the future of anaesthesia in Ireland." Designed for Ireland's Digital Healthcare Ecosystem The GE Carestation 850 is built as a fully connected medical device, supporting the transition from paper-based workflows to a data-driven, integrated perioperative environment. Key Digital Features include: Interoperability by Design: Simplifying connections to other medical devices and to hospital networks. Real-time data transmission can be configured to automatically send important physiological, machine and service data to various clients simultaneously. Integrated Care Connectivity: Bi-directional data exchange with Shared Care Record and future Community Care Record. Cybersecurity Framework: Future-ready: Extra computing power to accommodate smart tools and features. AI-Ready Architecture: Supports future decision tools such as predictive alerts and ventilation optimisation. Advanced Clinical Performance The GE Carestation 850 is engineered to support the evolving demands of anaesthesia and critical care: Advanced ventilation modes for both low-flow and high-flow anaesthetic techniques. High-resolution touchscreen interface for intuitive operation and rapid clinical decision-making. Efficient vapouriser and gas management systems. Native integration with anaesthesia information systems and hospital PAS. End-tidal control (Et Control) Automatically adjusts fresh gas flows to maintain EtO2 and EtAA targets. The new GE Carestation 850 is a platform for today and for the future – engineered with digital architecture that supports ongoing software innovations while delivering advanced clinical performance combined with seamless digital integration.The system will be displayed at the CAI Congress, continuing OxygenCare's long-standing commitment to engage directly with Ireland's anaesthesia community. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Are you out of contract or looking for a better deal for your mobile phone? If so, there are some great SIM Only deals available in Ireland right now with huge savings to be made over long contract plans. We've teamed up with Switcher.ie, the free and impartial price comparison and switching service, to find the best SIM Only deals available every month. Check back regularly to stay informed of the latest deals and offers, and visit the Switcher.ie website to order one of these great packages. Best SIM Only Deals Lyca Mobile's National Unlimited Plan is a limited-time offer, available exclusively through Switcher.ie. Sign up now for a monthly top-up of just €10.99 to get 100GB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts. For a limited time, 48 is featuring a special introductory rate on its €12.99 prepay SIM-only plan. New customers can enjoy this plan for just €9.99 per month for the first six months, reverting to the standard €12.99 monthly rate thereafter. This offer, which is available until 31/05/2026, comes packed with 5,000 minutes, 5,000 texts, unlimited 5G data, and a generous 20GB allowance for roaming in the EU and UK. Sky Mobile is offering an Unlimited Plan promotion that lets you freeze your bill for three years. For only €12.99 per month, you get unlimited data, calls, and texts. The price will increase to €15 per month after the initial three-year promotional period. Clear Mobile offers a straightforward, contract-free mobile solution that's both simple and affordable. Their SIM-only plan is available for just €12.99 per month on a flexible 30-day rolling bill-pay contract. This great value includes unlimited data, unlimited calls, and 10,000 texts. Plus, sign up now and your first month is absolutely free! (If you've come across this article after some of these deals may have expired, check out our main SIM Only category page to find the latest offers.) More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

An Irish local gift card provider has achieved prestigious Guaranteed Irish accreditation, demonstrating its commitment to powering local communities. Town & City Gift Cards was awarded the accreditation by Guaranteed Irish in recognition of its work supporting communities across Ireland through its growing network of 16 local gift card programs. The local gift cards are branded to specific Irish towns and cities, and designed to amplify the local offering, drive in-person sales and lock spend into local communities. Town & City Gift Cards can be spent with a wide range of local businesses including shops, restaurants, hotels, attractions, salons and services, including big brands and independent businesses. Delivered by fintech Miconex, over €17.4m in gift card sales was achieved across the Irish Town & City Gift Cards network in 2025, set to drive an estimated 335,000 visits to high streets this year. Town & City Gift Cards are popular for consumer gifts and corporate rewards with an estimated 65% of 2025 sales from organisations purchasing local gift cards for employees. Miconex introduced digital and a dedicated corporate site in 2024 to enable organisations to easily reward their staff with local gift cards. The Guaranteed Irish accreditation for Miconex follows the January 2026 announcement of the Town & City Gift Cards initiative as the recommended local gift card program for Chambers Ireland members. In addition to supporting Irish chambers, local authorities and business improvement districts to deliver local spend for their business communities, the Guaranteed Irish accreditation recognises Miconex's position as a 'shop local' champion in the country. Melissa Cowman, membership manager at Guaranteed Irish, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Miconex as one of the 2,500 businesses licensed as Guaranteed Irish members, recognising its commitment to jobs, community, provenance and sustainability." Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex, said: "It is a proud moment for Miconex to receive this stamp of approval as a Guaranteed Irish business, reflecting the commitment of the Irish Town & City Gift Cards network to make local shopping the first choice, keeping money locked into Irish communities that would otherwise be spent online or outside of the country. Increasingly, organisations across Ireland are looking for a local option to reward their people where their reward spend also benefits the local economy. A Town & City Gift Card is the ultimate 'shop local' gift card, blending unbeatable local choice with unrivalled support for local." Mark Cunningham, business development manager for Miconex Ireland, said: "Guaranteed Irish is the national symbol of trust that helps consumers and businesses choose products and services that are better for their community. Town & City Gift Cards is the leading local gift card provider in Ireland, and becoming a Guaranteed Irish member adds reassurance for our clients, customers and partners that they are choosing a gift card that powers Irish business communities." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Ireland welcomes the announcement of European AI Innovation Month, taking place from Dublin 14 October to Brussels 17 November 2026, a Europe-wide programme of events dedicated to accelerating artificial intelligence innovation and deployment across the European Union. As part of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026, Ireland will officially launch the month with the International AI Summit on 14 October 2026 at the RDS Dublin. Harnessing AI, Ireland ready for EU Innovation Month Under the theme 'Harnessing AI to Revolutionise Europe's Competitiveness' the International AI Summit will focus on Applied AI and sectoral value creation, highlighting Europe's shift from research to applied AI that delivers tangible impact across industries and public services. It will focus on building AI capacity through world-class infrastructure, computing power, sustainable energy, connectivity, and talent, while showcasing transformative opportunities ranging from generative to agentic AI, frontier models, and quantum convergence, all delivered responsibly to maintain public trust. Participants will include EU Commissioners and Ministers, C-suite leaders from major international and European companies and globally recognised AI experts. Sector-focused sessions will examine how AI is transforming key areas of the economy and society, supported by an Innovation spotlight exhibition space demonstrating cutting-edge AI innovation. Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, said, "This AI summit is a unique opportunity to showcase Irish and European leadership in applied AI and demonstrate how innovation can drive competitiveness, create value across our economy and benefit society as a whole. Ireland's vibrant AI ecosystem, world-class talent and strategic infrastructure positions Ireland uniquely to lead these discussions and help shape the future of AI in Europe." Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, Niamh Smyth said, "We are now 6 months out from the International AI Summit at the RDS, Ireland is proud to host this flagship event in a venue that has championed innovation for centuries, turning ideas into action. Preparations are fully underway for this key commitment of mine, which will bring together Europe's leading minds in technology, business, and government. By collaborating closely with the European Commission and our industry partners, we are ensuring this AI Summit leaves a lasting impact, establishing Ireland as the go-to hub for the next generation of technology while demonstrating how AI can boost European competitiveness and create tangible value for businesses and citizens." Headline speakers will be announced shortly, with further details on speakers and the full programme to follow. An Expression of Interest will also open in the coming weeks for enterprises interested in participating in the Innovation Spotlight Exhibition. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

HCS, the Irish IT managed services and digital transformation company, has announced an investment of €13.2 million in the business by 2028 as it creates 125 new jobs, expands its footprint, and enhances its service offering for customers. The investment, which will be funded directly from the company's shareholders and reinvested company profits, is to support an ambitious strategy for continued growth. The new jobs, which will be created by 2028, are in cybersecurity, risk, compliance, digital services, enterprise sales, and presales. Recruitment has already begun and these new roles will grow the company's headcount to 175 employees across its Waterford, Cork, and Dublin locations. HCS is making this investment to drive annual revenue to €30 million by the end of 2028. AI adoption is a key driver of this growth, with customers increasingly incorporating AI into their operations to automate processes, boost productivity, and remain competitive. The investment also supports the opening of a new office in Blanchardstown Corporate Park, Dublin. The facility, spanning 4,500 square feet, includes technology infrastructure and collaborative workspaces for employees and customers. It will support the expansion of HCS' team and service portfolio across cybersecurity, cloud, and digital transformation. HCS provides services to over 350 large enterprise, mid-market, and SME organisations. Some of the most important growth segments for HCS include financial services, healthcare, hospitality, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing. Much of the forecasted growth is expected to come from digital services including AI-driven managed services. Pamela Farrell, Managing Director, HCS, said: "This investment reflects our confidence that we are ideally positioned to capitalise on high-growth areas such as AI and cybersecurity. This move marks a significant acceleration in our growth plans as we look to expand our teams and bolster our presence across the country. In turn, this will enable us to meet evolving customer needs and help them to stay ahead in increasingly complex work environments. "Having just acquired the business in November 2024, we have already made a very strong start and look forward to revealing an estimated 50% revenue increase in our first full financial year, ended 31st March 2026. "As an Irish-owned company, we are focused on providing the capabilities and rigour that global organisations require, alongside the responsiveness and agility of a local team. This investment will allow us to continue to build on our capabilities and service offering for customers. "Opening a new Dublin office is a huge milestone for us. The city is home to some of Ireland's most dynamic businesses, and having an enhanced base there, along with our existing Waterford and Cork offices, puts us in a stronger position to serve that market and attract talent." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

The 5th Annual Bitcoin Ireland Conference will return to Dublin from 22–25 May 2026, bringing together global leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, investors, and policymakers for four days dedicated exclusively to Bitcoin. Now entering its fifth year, the conference has grown into one of Europe's leading Bitcoin-only gatherings, focused on high-signal conversations around monetary innovation, infrastructure, mining, policy, education, and real-world adoption. Bitcoin Ireland Conference May 2026 Unlike broader digital asset events, Bitcoin Ireland Conference maintains a strict Bitcoin-only focus, attracting a mature and high-conviction audience of builders, capital allocators, and long-term thinkers from across the global Bitcoin ecosystem. Event Program The 2026 edition expands the event into a four-day experience designed to encourage both learning and meaningful connections within the Bitcoin community. 22 May – Opening Events The conference begins with a series of community-driven activities including the Bitcoin Walk, Bitcoin Ireland Football Cup, Book signings, and informal networking events across Dublin. 23 May – Conference Day 1 The first full conference day features keynote presentations, expert panels, workshops, and networking sessions, bringing together speakers from across the global Bitcoin ecosystem. 24 May – Conference Day 2 The program continues with additional keynotes, discussions, and workshops, concluding with the conference's official after-party, where attendees can connect with speakers, partners, and fellow Bitcoiners. 25 May –Satoshi VIP Pass Exclusive Event The final day features a private engagement trip for Satoshi VIP Pass holders, offering an exclusive opportunity to connect with speakers and partners in a more intimate setting. A Global Bitcoin Gathering Bitcoin Ireland Conference has established itself as a platform where serious Bitcoin conversations happen — bringing together individuals and organizations working across mining, policy, finance, infrastructure, education, and enterprise adoption. With attendance expected to approach 1,000 participants in 2026, the event continues to attract a growing international audience seeking meaningful discussions and long-term collaboration within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Tickets Tickets for Bitcoin Ireland Conference 2026 are now available. ? Secure your ticket: https://bitcoinireland.eu/ Early registration is recommended as ticket tiers are limited. About Bitcoin Ireland Conference Founded to support education and real-world adoption, Bitcoin Ireland Conference is an independent event focused solely on Bitcoin. The conference brings together global leaders, innovators, and the wider community to explore the future of Bitcoin through open dialogue, research, and collaboration. See more breaking stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

New provisional data from EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland's electricity grid, shows that 49% of electricity came from renewable sources in March. This is similar to the previous month of February, when 48% of energy was generated by renewable sources. Contributing 40% of the overall fuel mix in March, wind energy made up a significant proportion of renewable energy. Total generation of wind amounted to 1,258 GWh (Gigawatt hours). The overall electricity system demand?stood at?3142?GWh in March,?compared to 3027GWh?in February. While not summer yet, spring sunshine and a growth in solar power connected to Ireland's grid (grid-scale solar farms) resulted in a number of solar records on the power system in March, and this trend is anticipated to continue over the coming months. On 21 March, a new peak for grid-scale solar was achieved, contributing 983.46MW to Ireland's electricity mix. This comes close to 1GW (1000 MW), which is enough to power roughly 500,000 customers. This follows a record of 979 MW hit on 19 March and 950 MW reached on 6 March. These figures relate to grid-scale solar, from larger solar farms, and do not account for rooftop solar on homes and businesses, known as embedded solar. With rooftop (embedded) solar accounted for, EirGrid has observed significant changes in electricity requirements from the National Control Centre. On sunny days, demand during the day for electricity from large electricity generators has declined, as many homes, businesses and farms are powering themselves with embedded solar. When compared to the previous Thursday (12 March), demand in the early afternoon of Thursday 19 March was significantly less, with a difference of 974 MW. This can largely be explained by the amount of embedded solar available, given the better weather on that day, compared to 12 March. EirGrid is observing days where demand is lower in the early afternoon than at night. Again, the amount of embedded solar can significantly account for this. EirGrid's National Control Centre carries out the complex task of balancing the supply of solar energy alongside conventional generation sources and other renewable resources such as wind power to ensure that demand can be met. Charlie McGee, EirGrid's System Operational Manager, said: "While solar power is currently a relatively small component of the overall fuel mix across a month, these record peaks demonstrate its ever-increasing importance as a source of renewable energy in Ireland as we work towards a more sustainable and renewable-ready electricity grid." "Looking in particular at the instantaneous power that grid-scale solar can provide, it can meet over 20% of demand at times. "It's also interesting to see how much of an impact rooftop solar is having on overall system demand. On brighter days, less of Ireland's electricity needs are now served by large-scale grid-connected generation. This is helping to further reduce our reliance on non-renewable sources of electricity." More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Alienware has announced the availability of a new 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor in Ireland, marking a move to bring high-end display technology to a broader range of users at a lower price point. This launch forms part of Alienware's broader strategy to bring premium gaming performance to a wider audience, with the AW2726DM representing a further step in that direction. The new monitor (AW2726DM) is priced at €419.00, representing the brand's most accessible entry into QD-OLED monitors to date, a category typically associated with premium pricing. The launch reflects a wider trend in the gaming hardware market, where advanced display technologies are gradually becoming more attainable for mainstream consumers. Designed to deliver an immersive visual experience, the QD-OLED panel offers DCI-P3 99% colour coverage and an infinite contrast ratio, enabling lifelike colours and deep black hues across a range of content – from richly detailed virtual environments to fast-paced competitive gameplay. The new monitor features a 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time, supporting smoother gameplay and responsiveness, while compatibility with FreeSync Premium and VESA AdaptiveSync aims to ensure stability across different systems. Beyond performance, the device also incorporates ergonomic design features and is positioned as suitable for both gaming and day-to-day general use. Its QD-OLED panel is designed to deliver improved colour accuracy and contrast compared to traditional LCD displays. Alienware is also offering a three-year warranty, including OLED burn-in cover, which may address durability concerns sometimes associated with OLED technology. The product is now available nationwide. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Solidroad, the AI platform that helps companies evaluate and improve every human and AI customer conversation, has announced a $25 million Series A round. Led by global investment firm Hedosophia, and supported by First Round Capital and Y Combinator, this funding round marks a milestone in Solidroad's growth as enterprises look for new ways to ensure quality across their support operations. Building off the momentum of their seed round, led by First Round Capital in June 2025, Solidroad will use this recent round of funding to expand its teams across San Francisco and Dublin, furthering the platform's role as a leader in quality assurance (QA) for customer support. "We turn every customer interaction into measurable insight," said Solidroad co-founder and CEO Mark Hughes. "While most company support interactions go unreviewed, our platform evaluates them at scale, holding every interaction to a high quality standard to ensure customers feel supported. This funding enables us to expand our team and capabilities so more companies can make exceptional service the standard, not the exception." Solidroad strengthens customer experience (CX) through AI-powered training and quality insights. It reviews 100% of a company's customer interactions and generates insights that help support teams reduce manual quality assurance work, resulting in significantly higher customer satisfaction. The platform also uses these insights to create personalised training simulations to address areas of improvement for agents. This helps teams improve quality while keeping QA costs from rising when ticket volume grows. "We've built Solidroad to make sure every customer interaction becomes something teams can learn from," said Solidroad co-founder and CTO Patrick Finlay. "By evaluating conversations at scale, we're able to define what high-quality support looks like and apply that standard consistently across both human and AI agents. This funding allows us to expand those capabilities and bring that level of visibility and improvement to even more companies." Since launching in 2023, Solidroad has grown its customer base with brands including Ryanair, ?URA, and Crypto.com. Customers use the platform to automate QA coverage, reduce manual review hours, accelerate agent onboarding, and drive higher customer satisfaction scores through continuous, data-driven coaching. Additionally, Solidroad's AI analyses hundreds of conversations in seconds, making it ideal for companies managing high interaction volumes and scaling support teams. To date, Solidroad's platform has scored millions of interactions and increased analyst productivity by up to 10x. "AI is transforming how companies handle customer support, but maintaining consistent quality is still a huge challenge," said Andrew Smyth, Partner at Hedosophia. "Solidroad brings the needed visibility and oversight to every interaction, helping support teams continuously improve. We're excited to back a platform that is helping companies scale their support, while ensuring the customer experience is the main priority." This funding round reflects growing demand from CX and operations leaders to scale support quality without scaling headcount. Solidroad automates quality assurance across customer interactions and turns insights into targeted coaching, so quality, consistency, and speed improve as volume grows, whether interactions are handled by humans, AI, or both. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now t...

Winners will receive technical support to build a minimum viable product (MVP), worth up to €100,000, and gain access to investors Portugal will host a first-of-its-kind competition for femtech startups and research labs this spring. It will bring together innovators working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and women's health. The initiative, launched by the scientific platform EmbryoNet-AI in partnership with FemTech Real Money Talks Media, a European media platform covering innovation in women's health and femtech, aims to accelerate real-world breakthroughs by transforming early-stage ideas and clinical questions into working AI solutions. FemTech startups event in Portugal this spring "Women's health has been long underfunded, and under-researched. With this competition we want to change that and bring light to talented teams that are moving this field forward", Elena Lipilina, co-founder and CMO of Embryonet AI. Organizers have already launched an open call, which will remain open until 28 April 2026, with all submissions due by midnight CET. It is open for both Portuguese and international teams who have a strong hypothesis and access to imaging or time-series data, and who are seeking to answer critical questions in women's health using AI, whether in drug discovery, diagnostic support, or clinical research. Early-stage startups in women's health that do not yet have a product or MVP are also invited to apply. "We are interested in clinical and drug discovery challenges where AI has the potential to create a meaningful impact in women's health. This includes projects that leverage time-series phenotyping to better understand drug response and disease mechanisms in areas such as gynaecological cancers, endometriosis, and fertility research. We also interested in team that want to accelerate medical image pre-labeling for datasets derived from mammography, pelvic MRI, ultrasound, or pathology slides, as well as solutions that combine phenotypic and clinical data to support decision-making in clinical trials, biomarker discovery, and treatment stratification", shared Lipilina. Among applications, organizers will select up to 10 companies based on their potential impact on women's health, readiness of data, alignment with EmbryoNet-AI's capabilities, feasibility within the program timeframe, and the strength of their business case, alongside ethical and sustainability considerations. These shortlisted teams will move into the next phase—the Mentor Sprint, that will take place in early May 2026. During this period, participants will work closely with experts across technology, marketing, and clinical domains to refine their project scope and strengthen their approach. The program will culminate in a Live Pitch Day in May 2026, where finalists will present their solutions to a panel of investors and experts from the fields of women's health, artificial intelligence, and biotech. The winning team will then enter an 8–10 week build period, running from May to July 2026, during which EmbryoNet-AI will deliver a fully developed, services-first pilot at no cost. According to Lipilina, this will allow the team to save between €65,000 and €100,000—the typical cost of developing an MVP, depending on the product's complexity. The winner will also gain direct access to investors active in women's health and AI-driven biotech, as well as enhanced public credibility through investor-ready materials, including pitch decks, and media exposure. See more breaking stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help p...

Iarnród Éireann has introduced PayPal as a payment option at checkout on their website and app, giving millions of travelers in Ireland and overseas a simple and secure way to purchase rail tickets. Customers can purchase tickets directly from their PayPal account using either their PayPal balance, or other funding source. Iarnród Éireann is one of Ireland's preferred transport providers, carrying over 55 million passengers in 2025. By enabling PayPal on their website and app, the company is adding another convenient payment option for customers worldwide to book tickets, when travelling with Iarnród Éireann. "Travelers expect payments they know and trust, wherever they book," said Jonas Breding, General Manager, PayPal Northern Europe. "The early results of our cooperation show clear international demand, with more than 20 percent of Iarnród Éireann transactions via PayPal coming from outside Ireland, with a significant share of them from the United States." "Our priority is to make booking rail travel easy to buy, easy to use, and as accessible as possible," said Keith Faherty, Head of Digital Channels at Iarnród Éireann. "By adding PayPal to our supported payment methods, we are giving our customers what they want – greater choice and reassurance at checkout – making the first step of their journey even easier and more convenient, wherever they are travelling from." PayPal's cooperation with Iarnród Éireann marks another step in strengthening the company's presence in Ireland's travel sector and reinforces its long-term commitment to the Irish market. PayPal has operated in Ireland since 2003, with Dublin being home to one of its largest European hubs. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Some home insurance considerations to think about. Almost one third (31%) of homeowners researched have upgraded their homes in the past three years, including insulation and solar panel installation, highlighting growing customer focus on energy efficiency and BER ratings. Despite the prevalence of home upgrades however, 61% of those who made improvements didn't notify their insurers, leaving them at potential risk of being underinsured or missing out on potential savings on their premium. Home insurance pitfalls to avoid The research also indicates that almost a quarter (24%) of homeowners don't understand the concept of underinsurance – where the sums insured on a policy are at an amount that is less than the value it will cost to reinstate, repair or replace them. With the rising prevalence of severe weather events in recent years, 52% of homeowners across Ireland now state storm damage as one of their top three fears in relation to their homes – reinforcing the importance of ensuring insurance policies provide homeowners with adequate protection. When it comes to policy renewal, just four in ten customers (40%) are reviewing their terms in detail before renewing, and almost half (48%) admit to renewing once the price meets their expectations. Bank of Ireland is encouraging customers to review their insurance policies carefully before renewing, to ensure their policy accurately reflects the requirements of their home and its contents. Jewellery is called out predominantly as the most cherished item in respondents' homes – with jewellery, computer technology, furniture and mobile phones the top four items homeowners are most concerned about losing or damaging. Niall Moran, Head of Sales, Bank of Ireland Insurance Services, said: "Many customers are investing in upgrades such as heating systems, energy efficiency improvements and security features, but too often these changes aren't reflected in their policies – meaning some are missing out on potential cost savings. "Our message is simple: always review your policy before you renew. Check your sums insured, declare any upgrades and ensure your cover reflects the true value of your home and contents. We are committed to providing clear guidance and practical support to help customers protect their homes. "At Bank of Ireland we provide up to 20% off insurance premiums for Ecosaver Mortgage customers who are making sustainable improvements to their homes – so you're improving the environment and saving money at the same time." Bank of Ireland's insurance advice includes: Carefully review your annual home insurance renewal notice Check Buildings and Contents cover – renovations and upgrades may impact sums insured Ensure contents cover reflects the full cost of replacing specific personal items and household goods Notify your insurer of a claim as soon as possible and before undertaking any repair work See more breaking stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Following a hugely successful debut in Derry~Londonderry in last year, TechTides is set to expand to Belfast this summer, with a major one-day conference taking place at the ICC Belfast on Thursday 11th June 2026. Building on the momentum of its inaugural event, TechTides Belfast will bring together technologists, developers, founders, startups, CEOs, business leaders, and students from across the island for a full day of insights, discussion and collaboration. TechTides comes to Belfast, 11th June 2026 The event is being delivered in partnership with headline sponsors Alchemy Technology Services, Allstate NI and HighLevel, highlighting TechTides' ambition to inspire and accelerate growth across the technology sector. A strong line-up of speakers has already been confirmed, including Perdie Alder (VC/Startup Partnerships at Zendesk), Alan Carson (Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Cloudsmith), Hermione Way (technology entrepreneur and former Head of Communications at Tinder), and John Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Alchemy Technology Services. Attendees can expect a dynamic programme of keynote sessions, panels and networking opportunities, alongside an evening social sponsored by Cloudsmith. Alastair Cameron, TechTides founder and Derry entrepreneur, said: "Last year's inaugural TechTides event proved there's a real appetite for a conference that brings the entire tech community together. This has always been about the whole technology ecosystem – from early-stage talent to experienced leaders – and bringing the conference to Belfast is the next step. We're excited to build on that momentum and support the continued growth of the tech sector across Northern Ireland." Erin McFeely, Director Northern Ireland at Alchemy Technology Services, said: "Supporting TechTides aligns closely with our commitment to building a sustainable and thriving technology sector. As a business built around people, partnerships and long-term impact, we recognise the importance of connecting industry leaders, start-ups and emerging talent. As TechTides expands to Belfast, we look forward to being part of an environment where ideas can be shared, relationships can be built and innovation can flourish, all of which are critical to the continued success of Northern Ireland's tech industry." As the second edition of the conference, TechTides Belfast will be followed by a return to the North West, with an event in Derry~Londonderry scheduled for 27th October. For ticket information and full programme details, visit techtides.co. TechTides is a flagship conference for tech and innovation on the island of Ireland, now in its second iteration. Founded in 2025 by Alastair Cameron, it brings together leading voices from startups, enterprise and impact-driven technology, exploring the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and real-world impact. See more breaking stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Ireland welcomes the announcement of European AI Innovation Month, taking place from Dublin 14 October to Brussels 17 November 2026, a Europe-wide programme of events dedicated to accelerating artificial intelligence innovation and deployment across the European Union. As part of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026, Ireland will officially launch the month with the International AI Summit on 14 October 2026 at the RDS Dublin. Under the theme 'Harnessing AI to Revolutionise Europe's Competitiveness' the International AI Summit will focus on Applied AI and sectoral value creation, highlighting Europe's shift from research to applied AI that delivers tangible impact across industries and public services. It will focus on building AI capacity through world-class infrastructure, computing power, sustainable energy, connectivity, and talent, while showcasing transformative opportunities ranging from generative to agentic AI, frontier models, and quantum convergence, all delivered responsibly to maintain public trust. Participants will include EU Commissioners and Ministers, C-suite leaders from major international and European companies and globally recognised AI experts. Sector-focused sessions will examine how AI is transforming key areas of the economy and society, supported by an Innovation spotlight exhibition space demonstrating cutting-edge AI innovation. Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, said, "This AI summit is a unique opportunity to showcase Irish and European leadership in applied AI and demonstrate how innovation can drive competitiveness, create value across our economy and benefit society as a whole. Ireland's vibrant AI ecosystem, world-class talent and strategic infrastructure positions Ireland uniquely to lead these discussions and help shape the future of AI in Europe." Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, Niamh Smyth said, "We are now 6 months out from the International AI Summit at the RDS, Ireland is proud to host this flagship event in a venue that has championed innovation for centuries, turning ideas into action. Preparations are fully underway for this key commitment of mine, which will bring together Europe's leading minds in technology, business, and government. By collaborating closely with the European Commission and our industry partners, we are ensuring this AI Summit leaves a lasting impact, establishing Ireland as the go-to hub for the next generation of technology while demonstrating how AI can boost European competitiveness and create tangible value for businesses and citizens." Headline speakers will be announced shortly, with further details on speakers and the full programme to follow. An Expression of Interest will also open in the coming weeks for enterprises interested in participating in the Innovation Spotlight Exhibition. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

In the third exclusive interview of the "Treasury Series" for Irish Tech News, Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets asks Wojciech Kaszycki, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of BTCS SA Europe's first dedicated Digital Asset Treasury Company why he thinks there will be a consolidation of crypto treasury firms and the shift toward institutional grade stablecoin infrastructure and tokenization that is aided by MiCA. By Selva Ozelli Esq., CPA, Author of "Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally" Interview with Wojciech Kaszycki, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of BTCS SA (formerly Vakomtek S.A.) is a Polish technology company headquartered in Warsaw recognized as Europe's first dedicated Digital Asset Treasury Company Bitcoin insights with Wojciech Kaszycki Wojciech Kaszycki serves as the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for BTCS S.A. a Polish technology company headquartered in Warsaw recognized as Europe's first dedicated Digital Asset Treasury Company (DATCO) which has an "Active Treasury" strategy, using Bitcoin as an anchor asset while generating yield through staking, validator operations, and tokenized Real-World Assets (RWA). In late 2025, the company reported a tenfold increase in market capitalization following its pivot to blockchain infrastructure and has since pursued significant capital raises, including a $100 million Series G round. Wojciech is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of background in scaling fintech and digital-asset infrastructure. He is the founder of Mobilum, a regulated digital payment services provider and Bitcoin banking platform (CSE:MBLM) established in 2010. He led the development of a global plug-and-play fiat to crypto exchange platform and scalable on and off ramp solutions used by exchanges, wallets, and DeFi protocols. As an ACAMS Certified Crypto asset Specialist, an active investor and advisor in fintech and medtech, focused on scaling digital economy infrastructure, he has been vocal about the consolidation of crypto treasury firms and the shift toward institutional grade stablecoin infrastructure and tokenization. Tell us about your educational and professional journey leading up to founding Mobilum a regulated crypto payments platform. I started in tech entrepreneurship in Poland in the early 1990s, right as the country was opening up. Over 30 years I built and scaled businesses across payments, fintech, and digital infrastructure. I earned my ACAMS Certified Crypto asset Specialist designation along the way. Mobilum was a natural evolution – combining my payments experience with the emerging crypto ecosystem. You are an early believer and adopter of BTC. How did you become aware of BTC and tell us about Mobilum. I discovered Bitcoin in 2014 and immediately saw the gap there was no easy way for holders to convert back to fiat. So, I set up Mobilum initially as an off-ramp for BTC users. From there it grew into a full plug-and-play fiat-to-crypto platform, serving exchanges, wallets, and DeFi protocols with scalable on- and off-ramp solutions. Tell us about BTCS a crypto treasury company and how you became the CSO of this company. BTCS (formerly Vakomtek) was a NewConnect-listed Polish tech company that we pivoted into Europe's first dedicated Digital Asset Treasury Company. As CSO, I shaped the strategy: Bitcoin as the anchor treasury asset, with yield generation through CoreDAO validator operations, staking, and tokenized RWAs. The market responded – we saw a tenfold increase in market cap following the pivot. For an investor what are the benefits of buying the stock of a crypto treasury company vs investing in shares of a crypto ETF? An ETF gives you passive, index-like exposure. A treasury company gives you active exposure management is working to grow the BTC-per-share ratio through yield strategies, validator income, and strategic capital allocation. You're buying operational upside, not just price tracking. Plus, treasury companies can le...

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), who operate a global delivery service centre in Ireland, today announced the renewal of its major, multi-year strategic partnership with Marks & Spencer (M&S). This continuing engagement builds on the more than a decade-long trusted partnership between the two organisations and will see TCS continue to serve as M&S's strategic technology partner as the retailer embeds its technology transformation. As part of this continuing partnership, TCS will support M&S as it transforms to become an omnichannel, data-driven retailer supported by globally best-in-class modern technologies. TCS will utilise AI in its transformation approach—supported by its extensive domain expertise and one of the world's largest AI talent pools. This will support future-readiness, provide the right base for long-term growth, and create a superior customer experience. Sacha Berendji, Operations Director, Marks and Spencer, said, "Technology transformation is a key strategic priority for M&S as we invest for growth. Having the right suite of partners, with access to the latest developments in AI and digital expertise, is imperative. I am pleased that we are extending our partnership with TCS, who will work alongside our in-house team as we accelerate our digital transformation." Krishnan Ramanujam, President – Consumer Business Group, Tata Consultancy Services, said: "M&S is a highly cherished and iconic British brand that has always been at the forefront of retail innovation. We are proud of our long-standing partnership and delighted to be chosen to support its enterprise transformation. Our strong contextual knowledge of M&S's business helped lead the digital wave for M&S. As M&S now accelerates its technology transformation, we look forward to bringing our enterprise-scale AI capabilities, deep retail expertise, and engineering leadership to create sustained value, business agility, and a future-ready retail enterprise." More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Stegawave, an Irish technology company specialising in forensic watermarking for video content, has announced the launch of its anti-piracy platform for live sports streaming. Using a proprietary watermarking algorithm to embed invisible patterns into live streams, Stegawave identifies piracy sources in real time, shutting down illegal redistribution within minutes of detection. The platform integrates with existing streaming workflows and distribution systems, requiring no changes to a content owner's existing infrastructure. Stegawave customers also have the option to push alternative content or messaging to the illegal stream destination. Live sports piracy costs the global broadcasting industry billions annually, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimating the impact on the US economy alone at more than $29 billion per year. Illegal IPTV services, often referred to as 'dodgy boxes', restream content within minutes of broadcast, and legacy content protection technology cannot identify the source of a leak. For smaller and mid-tier organisations, the financial impact is proportionally even greater, as lost subscribers directly threaten the viability of grassroots and regional sports attendance and coverage. The announcement follows a successful deployment with Clubber TV, a leading live sports platform. Sports broadcasters worldwide are facing persistent piracy from illegal IPTV services that directly impact subscription revenue and the financial viability of the coverage itself. Stegawave was deployed across live broadcasts, detecting pirated streams and identifying the specific subscriber accounts responsible. Stegawave achieved a 100% detection rate across all streams, and because many illegal IPTV services share the same source account, blocking a single compromised account simultaneously disabled multiple pirate streams, amplifying the impact of each enforcement action. "Piracy is a massive threat to the sustainability of sports broadcasting at all levels, including grassroots coverage. This technology is potentially game-changing for us to ensure, following significant rights fee investments, that fans are only watching Clubber games on our platform," said Jimmy Doyle, CEO, Clubber. "It's been a pleasure to work alongside Clubber in stopping piracy of their premium matches. The work we have done together has helped us improve the Stegawave product and also resulted in new features. With the increase in illegal streaming not just in Ireland but worldwide, there is real momentum behind tackling this problem, and Stegawave can play a key role in tackling it both here and internationally. We look forward to supporting sports rights holders and broadcasters across the globe in recovering lost revenue and protecting their premium content." said Sean Fahey, CEO, Stegawave. Stegawave is now available for streaming platforms, sports broadcasters and rights holders who are looking to protect their premium content and maximise their Pay-Per-View and Subscription revenues. The Stegawave team will be attending NAB Show in Las Vegas from 18-22 April 2026, showcasing the platform to technology partners, content owners and wider media. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Mapped: The World's Data Centers by Country (2026) By Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally This is the first article in a series of articles I am writing for Irish Tech News to explore the financial, technical, legal aspects of utilizing space solar energized orbital data centers that are rapidly evolving into "AI Factories, designed specifically to convert massive amounts of electrical power into intelligence, measured in tokens" around the world. My new series is a follow up to an interview ITN conducted with me in 2020 exploring how space solar energy could sustainably energize the tokenization of the global financial markets which is projected to grow to multi-trillion dollars by the end of the decade. The growth of Sustainable Orbital Data Center Infrastructure Only five years after this interview, on December 10, 2025 PowerBank Corporation (Canada) launched the inaugural DeStarlink Genesis-1 satellite , marking Orbit AI's (Singapore) first step toward building its Orbital Cloud network — an architecture where AI compute, connectivity, and blockchain-verified processing occur directly in low-Earth satellites, powered by space solar energy. Such decentralized space infrastructure combining AI computing, global connectivity, and blockchain verification are likely to [gradually] take over functions of hyperscale earthbound data centers going forward. About Hyperscale Data Centers The United States is the leader in data center hosting, commanding over 40% of the world's facilities [over 5,000 facilities as of 2026], driven by a head start by US tech giants such as such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Oracle and Google Cloud, which made high-volume investment in AI. At the start of this year, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, which advances his America's AI Action Plan. This was followed by the U.S. Department of Energy launching the Genesis Mission, a historic national effort that will use the power of artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery science, strengthen national security, and drive energy innovation. These policies have prompted several US based hyperscale data center companies to explore the integration of orbital solar energy for energy-intensive blockchain and AI verification processes. Hyperscale cloud providers are massive-scale data center service providers that operate extensive, globally dispersed data centers to deliver on-demand computing resources. These providers are characterized by their ability to scale horizontally and vertically to support millions of virtual machines and vast workloads by integrating edge cloud technology, to extend their services to smaller, distributed micro-data centers and network points closer to users for lower latency, better performance in remote areas. Hyperscale cloud providers store data for AI and use tokenization in two key ways: for AI model processing and for data security/compliance. They are the physical infrastructure that makes data center operations possible. However, hyperscale data centers are experiencing a massive surge in power and water demand driven by the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). These facilities, often requiring 100+ megawatts (MW) and sometimes up to 1 gigawatt (GW) for "AI factories," are redefining data centers as critical infrastructure that require consistent, 24/7 power. Therefore, US hyperscale cloud providers are exploring the concept of placing solar collection and data centers in orbit to leverage 24/7 constant solar energy and alleviate terrestrial power grid strain. The physical targeting of US based commercial data centers in the Persian Gulf during the U.S.-Iran conflict in March 2026 marked a historic first and a shift in warfare, where digital infrastructure was directly attacked and damaged. Following these events, the urgency f...

Dublin-based SaaS company Apex B2B has officially launched following an investment of €1.5 million, including R&D support from Enterprise Ireland. The company has developed a purpose-built, AI-enabled commerce platform designed specifically for mid-market wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers, a segment often underserved by both lightweight retail platforms and complex enterprise systems. Apex B2B was incubated within Monsoon Consulting, a Dublin-headquartered digital commerce agency, and formally spun out following a successful soft launch in December 2025. To support its growth, Apex B2B plans to hire 15 employees across product engineering, AI, customer success, go-to-market and operations. The company is targeting mid-market businesses with annual revenues between €10 million and €300 million and plans to expand into UK, European and US markets over the next five years. The company is positioned as part of Ireland's growing SaaS ecosystem, with a strong focus on export-led international growth. The launch comes amid growing demand for modernisation in B2B commerce. Industry research indicates that almost 65% of B2B executives report B2B online commerce is "broken" due to poor data, inefficient processes, and an inability to meet B2C-like convenience standards. While consumer-first tools lack the depth required for B2B workflows, enterprise platforms often introduce excessive cost, long implementation timelines and significant technical overhead. At the same time, enterprise adoption of AI is accelerating, with more organisations moving from experimentation to production use cases. Apex B2B's platform is designed to address these challenges by combining pre-built architecture with AI-driven capabilities, enabling businesses to manage complex pricing, ordering and customer workflows at scale. Bharat Sharma, Founder and CEO of Apex B2B, said: "Apex B2B is built on years of hands-on experience working with B2B organisations navigating complex commerce challenges. What we've consistently seen is a structural gap in the market, businesses that are too advanced for basic tools, but underserved by enterprise platforms. This is not just a technology problem; it is an infrastructure gap in how B2B trade operates digitally. Apex B2B has been designed to address that by combining proven B2B workflows with modern cloud and AI capabilities, enabling businesses to scale more efficiently." The Apex B2B platform has been developed based on over a decade of delivery experience within Monsoon Consulting, where recurring technical and operational challenges across client projects helped shape the platform's architecture and capabilities. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

TU Dublin Innovation has announced a major surge in commercially focused research activity valued at approximately €3 million, securing five Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund (CF) awards in 2025, significantly exceeding its annual target of three. The achievement marks a dramatic increase from 2024, when TU Dublin secured just one CF award, and signals a strong return to the university's baseline performance over the past two years. This milestone reflects a substantial investment of time, expertise and collaboration across TU Dublin's Innovation Office, case managers and research community. It also positions the university strongly for further growth in 2026, with a healthy pipeline already underway. One Proof of Concept (PoC) application has already been submitted, a second is in development, and additional opportunities are actively being explored. The five Enterprise Ireland awards include two full Commercialisation Fund projects and three Proof of Concept awards. As seen in 2024, both full CF projects secured significant funding, reinforcing TU Dublin's focus on high-value, high-impact research with strong commercial potential. The SIMIR project, awarded €721,533 and led by Dr Brian Vaughan at TU Dublin in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, is developing an immersive digital simulation platform designed to prepare medical trainees for real clinical environments. The platform combines clinical decision-making with essential soft skills, including communication, teamwork and situational awareness. Led by Dr Steven Davy at TU Dublin, the LiteStream project, awarded €653,472, is creating a next-generation telemedicine solution that uses AI-driven visual analysis and advanced video compression to help clinicians identify key patient cues during remote consultations, even in low-bandwidth environments. Anastasia Negru, Commercialisation Lead, LiteStream, commented that: 'We're tackling a €432 billion market with technology that solves three critical problems: doctors missing visual cues in remote consultations, bandwidth barriers in rural areas, and overwhelming documentation burden. The Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund gives us the resources to conduct trials with clinical partners across Ireland, Sweden, Spain, the US and beyond and prove that Irish innovation can lead the global healthcare AI revolution.' In addition to its Enterprise Ireland success, TU Dublin has also secured four ARC Hub for ICT Proof of Concept awards, bringing the total number of new commercialisation-focused projects funded in 2025 to nine. Dr Paul Maguire, Head of Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at TU Dublin, commented: 'These awards mark a pivotal moment for TU Dublin Innovation, reflecting the determination and expertise of our researchers and innovation office team. We are building momentum at a remarkable pace, and the strength of our 2026 pipeline shows that this is only the beginning. Our university is firmly positioning itself as a leader in translating high impact research into real world commercial and societal value.' These achievements underline TU Dublin's growing reputation as a leader in research translation, innovation and industry engagement, with a clear focus on turning breakthrough ideas into real-world solutions that deliver commercial and societal impact. TU Dublin Innovation is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help pro...

Pictured attending the Tech Rally at the Dell Technologies Innovate event at Royal Hospital Kilmainham recently were Mark Hopkins, Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland, and Alex Rice, Field Product Manager at Dell Technologies Ireland, alongside over 100 technology leaders, industry experts and IT decision-makers who explored how organisations across Ireland are preparing for the next phase of AI-driven transformation. The event also featured Dell's 'Tech Rally Anywhere' showcase, bringing a hands-on experience of the latest devices and technologies shaping the future of work in Ireland. The showcase provided IT leaders with the opportunity to experience Dell's latest AI PCs and latest devices and how they can empower employees in the workplace. With AI continuing to move from concept to practical deployment, discussions throughout the day centred on the importance of building strong digital foundations from modern devices to resilient, secure and scalable infrastructure. Attendees explored how modern devices and emerging technologies are evolving new ways of working. A dedicated showcase area gave the audience the opportunity to experience the latest generation of Dell devices and workplace solutions first-hand, including newly launched AI PCs. The interactive setup demonstrated how advancements in device performance, collaboration tools and connectivity are enabling more flexible and productive ways of working across today's hybrid work environment. With technology decisions now more closely tied to business performance than ever before. Irish organisations are increasingly focused on how they can future-proof their operations, embrace AI responsibly and unlock new opportunities for growth in an increasingly complex digital economy. Speaking at the event, Mark Hopkins, Managing Director at Dell Technologies Ireland, said, "AI is rapidly becoming a key driver of innovation and competitive advantage for organisations across Ireland. As businesses move from experimentation to real-world deployment, the focus is on building the right foundations, from modern devices at the edge to secure, scalable infrastructure, to fully realise its potential. "At Dell Technologies Ireland, we are supporting customers to turn AI ambition into tangible outcomes, helping them innovate faster, operate more efficiently and move forward with confidence in an increasingly data-driven world." More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Candidates are making avoidable mistakes when applying for jobs. These errors range from generic CVs to avoidable virtual interview blunders – but hiring managers say small errors continue to cost candidates opportunities in an increasingly competitive job market. Breda Dooley, HR & Recruitment Manager at Matrix Recruitment Group, says many of the same issues appear repeatedly in applications and interviews. In a job market that is competitive, she highlighted that applicants should show preparation, professionalism and genuine interest in the role and avoid the following common but avoidable mistakes. Virtual interview blunders Breda noted that virtual interview etiquette is paramount in 2026, yet candidates still continue to undermine their performance through avoidable online interview mistakes. One of the most common virtual interview issues Breda sees is not even down to the candidate themselves. She highlighted: 1) poor camera positioning, 2) weak internet connections that have not been tested beforehand, and 3) background noise or distractions in the interview environment as the most frequent issues in this regard. Breda said disengaged body language is very easy to detect on-screen: "Virtual interviews require the same level of preparation as face-to-face meetings. Your setup, body language and focus all influence the impression you leave," she added. Lack of research about the company Breda has also seen many candidates arriving at interviews without a clear understanding of the organisation, its work or even the industry. "Candidates who haven't taken time to research the company can struggle to explain why they are interested in the role or how they would contribute to the organisation," Breda said. "They stand out in the worst way; employers want to see that applicants understand the business and can explain how they would add value." Over-rehearsed or generic interview answers Breda said others then rely too heavily on memorised answers, which makes all their answers sound stilted and unnatural. Though being prepared is key, answers that sound rehearsed can come across as scripted and inauthentic. "Interviews should still feel like a conversation," Dooley said. "Candidates should focus on sharing genuine examples that show how they approach challenges or deliver results. It's really important to give real-life examples and scenarios with clear facts. This will stick out in an interview and showcase your skills." Rambling or unfocused responses Overly long answers that lack structure are also a major red flag for hiring managers, says Breda, who urged candidates to outline the situation clearly, their actions, and the relevant outcome. "Don't ramble," says Breda. "Clear and concise answers that focus on relevant examples tend to leave a stronger impression on interview panels." Failing to ask questions at the end of the interview Another red flag the recruitment expert cited was not asking follow-up questions at the end of an interview. Breda explained that employers want questions to demonstrate not only engagement and genuine interest in the role and the organisation, but also that you haven't zoned out during the interview. "It's a two-way process," Dooley said. "Candidates should use the opportunity to learn more about the role, the team and the company culture. The fundamentals haven't changed: preparation, clarity and professionalism remain the factors that set strong candidates apart." More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now...

Back in 2020 I had John Brady CEO and Co-Founder of Bowsy on the Irish Tech News podcast. John had just launched Bowsy during Covid and since then Bowsy has grown and are launching a new service powered by AI. John is back on the podcast to talk about what's happened since we last spoke and the new AI powered service launching in April.. John talks about apprenticeships, careers advice,  remote working, AI, more women in stem and more.More about Bowsy:Bowsy is an AI-powered talent assessment and early careers platform that helps organisations identify, assess and recruit high-potential talent more effectively. Our platform combines AI-driven profiling with real-world project assessments to improve hiring decisions across graduate recruitment, early careers programmes and specialised workforce assessments such as driver capability.based on real-world business challenges.Bowsy helps organisations move beyond traditional CV screening and recruitment channels by providing a data-driven approach to identifying candidate potential, motivation and role fit.